Barron's GRE with sentences - Complete Wordlist

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A complete list of Barron's GRE Wordlist, with meanings and sentences. The series has the entire wordlist split by alphabets, and also a mega complete wordlist, of all 3689 words. This is the Complete Wordlist.

abase

lower; degrade; humiliate
Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before
him, however she refused to abase herself.

abash

embarrass
He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.

abate

subside or moderate
Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.

abbreviate

shorten
Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.

abdicate

renounce; give up
When Edward VII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world.

aberrant

abnormal or deviant
Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment.

abet

assist, usually in doing something wrong
She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.

abeyance

suspended action
The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.

abject

wretched; lacking pride
On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from
the wind.

abjure

renounce upon oath
He abjured his allegiance to the king.

ablution

washing
His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath."

abnegation

renunciation; self-sacrifice
Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another, their love was doomed, for she had to wed the
king; their act of abnegation was necessary to preserve the kingdom.

abominate

loathe; hate
Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom.

abortive

unsuccessful; fruitless
We had to abandon our abortive attempts.

abrasive

rubbing away; tending to grind down
Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's
patience.

abrogate

abolish
He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.

abscond

depart secretly and hide
The teller absconded with the bonds and was not found.

absolute

complete; totally unlimited; certain
Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife
without absolute evidence of her infidelity.

absolve

pardon (an offense)
The father confessor absolved him of his sins.

abstain

refrain; withhold from participation
After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking
while he trained for the race.

abstract

theoretical; not concrete; non-representational
To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.

abusive

coarsely insulting; physically harmful
An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically.

abut

border upon; adjoin
Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.

abysmal

bottomless
His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.

accede

agree
If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands.

accelerate

move faster
In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.

accessible

easy to approach; obtainable
We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.

accessory

additional object; useful but not essential thing
She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress.

acclimate

adjust to climate or environment
One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travellers to acclimate themselves to their new
and often strange environments.

acclivity

sharp upslope of a hill
The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear.

accolade

award of merit
In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade.

accord

agreement
She was in complete accord with the verdict.

accost

approach and speak first to a person
When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me.

accoutre

equip
The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply

accretion

growth; increase
The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power.

accrue

come about by addition
You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum.

acidulous

slightly sour; sharp; caustic
James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.

acme

peak; pinnacle; highest point
Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such
popular acclaim.

acquiesce

assent; agree passively
Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about
the changes he wanted made.

acquittal

deliverance from a charge
His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty.

acrid

sharp; bitterly pungent The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.

acrimonious

stinging, caustic
His tendency to utter acrimonious remarks alienated his audience.

actuarial

calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics
According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.

actuate

motivate
I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily.

acuity

sharpness
In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

acumen

mental keenness
His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.

adage

wise saying; proverb
There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

adamant

hard, inflexible
He was adamant in his determination to punish the wrongdoer.

addendum

addition; appendix to book
Jane's editor approved her new comparative literature text but thought it would be even better with an
addendum on recent developments in literary criticism.

addle

muddle; drive crazy
This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone.

adherent

supporter; follower
In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one-time adherent quietly deserted him.

adjunct

something attached to but holding an inferior position
I will entertain this concept as an adjunct to the main proposal.

adjuration

solemn urging
Her adjuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses' testimony.

adjutant

staff officer assisting the commander; assistant
Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Somerset was in no
doubt as to who made all major decisions.

admonish

warn; reprove
He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways.

adorn

decorate
Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple.

adroit

skillful
His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers.

adulation

flattery; admiration
The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes-men.

adulterate

make impure by mixing with baser substances It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer.

adventitious

accidental; casual
He found this adventitious meeting with his friend extremely fortunate.

advent

arrival
Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached
them.

adversary

opponent; enemy
Batman struggled to save Gotham City from the machinations of his wicked adversary, the Joker.

adverse

unfavorable; hostile
adverse circumstances compelled him to close his business.

adversity

poverty, misfortune
We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

advert

refer to
Since you advert to this matter so frequently, you must regard it as important.

advocate

urge; plead for
The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves.

aegis

shield; defense
Under the aegis of the Bill of Rights, we enjoy our most treasured freedoms.

affable

courteous
Although he held a position of responsibility, he was an affable individual and could be reached by anyone
with a complaint.

affected

artificial; pretended
His affected mannerisms irritated may of us who had known him before his promotion.

affidavit

written statement made under oath
The court refused to accept his statement unless he presented it in the form of an affidavit.

affiliation

joining; associating with
His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues.

affinity

kinship
She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains.

affirmation

positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath
Despite Tom's affirmation of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie.

affix

attach or add on; fasten
First the registrar had to affix his signature to the license; then he had to affix his official seal.

affluence

abundance; wealth
Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life.

affront

insult; offend
Accustomed to being treated with respect, Miss Challoner was affronted by Vidal's offensive behavior.

agape

openmouthed
She stared, agape, at the many strange animals in the zoo.

agenda

items of business at a meeting
We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting.

agglomeration

collection; heap
It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip.

aggrandize

increase or intensify; raise in power, wealth, rank or honor
The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act
aggressively in international affairs without considering the wishes of Congress.

aggregate

sum; total
The aggregate wealth of this country is staggering to the imagination.

aghast

horrified
He was aghast at the nerve of the speaker who had insulted his host.

agility

nimbleness
The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience.

agitate

stir up; disturb
Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob.

agnostic

one who is skeptical of the existence of knowability of a god or any ultimate reality
The agnostic demanded proof before she would accept the statement of the minister.

agog

highly excited; intensely curious
We were all agog at the news that the celebrated movie star was giving up his career in order to enter a
monastery.

agrarian

pertaining to land or its cultivation
As a result of its recent industrialization, the country is gradually losing its agrarian traditions.

alacrity

cheerful promptness
He demonstrated his eagerness to serve by his alacrity in executing the orders of his master.

alchemy

medieval chemistry
The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of alchemy.

alcove

nook; recess
Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an
adequate breakfast nook for the young couple.

alias

an assumed name
John Smith's alias was Bob Jones.

alienate

make hostile; separate
Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other.

alimentary

supplying nourishment
The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occurs there.

alimony

payments make to an ex-spouse after divorce
Because Tony had supported Tina through medical school, on their divorce he asked the court to award
him a month in alimony.

allay

calm; pacify
The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled.

allege

state without proof
It is alleged that she had worked for the enemy.

allegory

story in which characters are used as symbols; fable
Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of the human soul.

alleviate

relieve
This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger drugs.

alliteration

repetition of beginning sound in poetry
"The furrow followed free" is an example of alliteration.

alloy

mixture as of metals
alloy of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal.

allude

refer indirectly
Try not to allude to this matter in his presence because the topic annoys him.

allure

entice; attract
allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef.

allusion

indirect reference
the allusions to mythological characters in Milton's poems bewilder the reader who has not studied Latin.

alluvial

pertaining to soil deposits left by running water
The farmers found the alluvial deposits at the mouth of the river very fertile.

aloft

upward
The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging.

aloof

apart; reserved
Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.

altercation

noisy quarrel
Throughout the altercation, not one sensible word was uttered.

altruistic

unselfishly generous; concerned for others
In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships to hundreds of economically disadvantaged
youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed.

amalgamate

combine; unite in one body
The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.

amass

collect
The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible.

amazon

female warrior
Ever since the days of Greek mythology we refer to strong and aggressive women as amazons.

ambidextrous

capable of using either hand with equal ease
A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous.

ambience

environment; atmosphere
She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience.

ambiguous

unclear or doubtful in meaning
His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take.

ambivalence

the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the
ambivalence of her feelings.

amble

moving at an easy pace
When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble.

ambrosia

food of the gods
ambrosia was supposed to give immortality to any human who ate it.

ambulatory

able to walk
He was described as an ambulatory patient because he was not confined to his bed.

ameliorate

improve
Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums.

amenable

readily managed; willing to be led
He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his
inferiors.

amend

correct; change, generally for the better
Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States.

amenities

convenient features; courtesies In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler -- fax machines, modems, a health club --
the hotel offers the services of a butler versed in social amenities.

amiable

agreeable; lovable
His amiable disposition pleased all who had dealings with him.

amicable

friendly
The dispute was settled in an amicable manner with no harsh words.

amiss

wrong; faulty
Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss.

amity

friendship
Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote
international amity.

amnesia

loss of memory
Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself.

amnesty

pardon
When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.

amok

in a state of rage The police had to be called in to restrain him after he ran amok in the department store.

amoral

non-moral
The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he should not be classified as immoral.

amorous

moved by sexual love; loving
Don Juan was known for his amorous adventures.

amorphous

shapeless; vague; indeterminate
John was subject to panic attacks that left him prey to vague, amorphous fears: he knew he was terrified,
but could neither define nor explain the cause of his terror.

amphibian

able to live both on land and in water
Frogs are classified as amphibian.

amphitheater

oval building with tiers of seats
The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators.

ample

abundant
He had ample opportunity to dispose of his loot before his police caught up with him.

amplify

enlarge
Her attempts to amplify her remarks were drowned out by the jeers of the audience.

amputate

cut off part of body; prune
When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the
loss of his leg keep him from participating in sports.

amulet

charm; talisman
Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her.

anachronism

something or someone misplaced in time
Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time.

analgesic

causing insensitivity to pain
The analgesic qualities of his lotion will provide temporary relief.

analogous

comparable
She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that
we do the same.

analogy

similarity; parallelism
Your analogy is not a good one because the two situations are not similar.

anarchist

person who rebels against the established order
Only the total overthrow of all governmental regulations would satisfy the anarchist.

anarchy

absence of governing body; state of disorder
The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy.

anathematize

curse
The high priest anathematized the heretic.

anathema

solemn curse; someone or something that is despised
He heaped anathema upon his foe.

anchor

secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place
We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place.

ancillary

serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary
In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to
solve a perplexing case on his own.

anecdote

short account of an amusing or interesting event
Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Raegan told anecdotes about poor
people who became wealthy despite their impoverished backgrounds.

anemia

condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles
The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia.

anesthetic

substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness
His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep.

anguish

acute pain; extreme suffering
Visiting the site of explosion, Premier Gorbachev wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families.

angular

sharp-cornered; stiff in manner
His features, though angular, were curiously attractive.

animadversion

critical remark
He resented the animadversions of his critics, particularly because he realized they were true.

animated

lively
Her animated expression indicated a keenness of intellect.

animosity

active enmity
He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.

animus

hostile feeling or intent
The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting
remarks.

annals

records; history
In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.

anneal

reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling
After the glass is annealed, it will be less subject to chipping and cracking.

annihilate

destroy
The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.

annotate

comment; make explanatory notes
In the appendix to the novel, the critic sought to annotate many of the more esoteric references.

annuity

yearly allowance
The annuity he set up with the insurance company supplements his social security benefits so that he can
live very comfortably without working.

annul

make void
The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.

anodyne

drug that relieves pain; opiate
His pain was so great that no anodyne could relieve it.

anoint

consecrate
The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel.

anomalous

abnormal; irregular
He was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures that he despised.

anomaly

irregularity
A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.

anonymity

state of being nameless; anonymousness The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention him by name; the dean readily agreed to respect his
anonymity.

antagonistic

hostile; opposed
Despite his lawyers' best efforts to stop him, the angry prisoner continued to make antagonistic remarks to
the judge.

antecedents

preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; early life; ancestors
Before giving permission for Drummie to marry Estella, Miss Havisham had a few questions about the
young man's birth and antecedents.

antecede

precede
The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century.

antediluvian

antiquated; ancient
The antediluvian customs had apparently not changed for thousands of years.

anthropoid

manlike
The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals.

anthropologist

student of the history and science of humankind
Anthropologists have discovered several relics of prehistoric humans in this area.

anthropomorphic

having human form or characteristics
Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomorphic characteristics.

anticlimax

letdown in thought or emotion
After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax.

antipathy

aversion; dislike
His extreme antipathy to dispute caused him to avoid argumentative discussions with his friends.

antiquated

obsolete; outdated
Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Philip thought typewriters were too antiquated for
him to use.

antiseptic

substance that prevents infection
It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant.

antithesis

contrast; direct opposite of or to
This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength.

anvil

iron block used in hammering out metals
After heating the iron horseshoe in the forge, the blacksmith picked it up with his tongs and set it on the
anvil.

apathetic

indifferent
He felt apathetic about the conditions he had observed and did not care to fight against them.

apathy

lack of caring; indifference
A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never
bothered to vote.

aperture

opening; hole
She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room.

apex

tip; summit; climax
He was at the apex of his career.

ape

imitate or mimic
He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of the whole school.

aphasia

loss of speech due to injury or illness
After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all or could
only mumble incoherently.

aphorism

pithy maxim
An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or scientific.

apiary

a place where bees are kept
Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee.

aplomb

poise; composure
Wellington's nonchalance and aplomb in the heat of battle always heartened his followers.

apocalyptic

prophetic; pertaining to revelations; especially of disaster
His apocalyptic remarks were dismissed by his audience as wild surmises.

apocryphal

untrue; made up
To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.

apogee

highest point
When the moon in its orbit is furthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee.

apoplexy

stroke; loss of consciousness followed by paralysis
He was crippled by an attack of apoplexy.

apostate

one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs
Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate.

apothecary

druggist
In Holland, apothecaries still sell spices as well as ointments and pills.

apothegm

pithy, compact saying
Proverbs are apothegms that have become familiar sayings.

apotheosis

deification; glorification
The Roman empress Livia envied the late emperor his apotheosis; she hoped that on her death she, too, would be exalted to the rank of a god.

appal

dismay; shock
We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails.

apparition

ghost; phantom
Hamlet was uncertain about the identity of the apparition that had appeared and spoken to him.

appease

pacify; soothe
We have discovered that, when we try to appease our enemies, we encourage them to make additional
demands.

appellation

name; title
He was amazed when the witches hailed him with his correct appellation.

append

attach
I shall append this chart to my report.

application

diligent attention; (secondary meaning) apply
Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application.

apposite

appropriate; fitting
He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.

appraise

estimate the value of
It is difficult to appraise old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless.

appreciate

be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of
Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks ave her, whose value appreciated
considerably over the years.

apprehend

arrest ( a criminal); dread; perceive
The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long.

apprehensive

fearful; discerning
His apprehensive glances at the people who were walking in the street revealed his nervousness.

apprise

inform
When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.

approbation

approval
Wanting her parents' regard, she looked for some sign of their approbation.

appropriate

acquire; take possession of for one's own use
The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use.

appurtenances

subordinate possessions
He bought the estate and all its appurtenances.

apropos

with reference to; regarding
I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and pertinent.

aptitude

fitness; talent
The counselor evaluated his aptitudes before advising him about the career he should follow.

aquiline

curved, hooked
He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the eagle.

arable

fit for plowing
The land was no longer arable; erosion had removed the valuable topsoil.

arbiter

person with power to decide a matter in a dispute; judge
As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.

arbitrary

unreasonable or capricious; tyrannical
The coach claimed the team lost because the umpire made some arbitrary calls.

arbitrate

act as judge
She was called upon to arbitrate the dispute between the union and the management.

arboretum

place where different varieties of trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited
Walking along the treelined paths of the arboretum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine
sycamores.

arcade

a covered passageway, usually lined with shops
The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the
winter rain.

arcane

secret; mysterious
What was arcane to us was clear to the psychologist.

archaeology

study of artifacts and relics of early mankind
The professor of archaeology headed an expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins.

archaic

antiquated
"Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.

archetype

prototype; primitive pattern
The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island
and New Jersey.

archipelago

group of closely located islands
When he looked at the map and saw the archipelagoes in the South Seas, he longed to visit them.

archives

public records; place where public records are kept
These documents should be part of the archives so that historians may be able to evaluate them in the
future.

ardor

heat; passion; zeal
Katya's ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing
out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause.

arduous

hard; strenuous
Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy.

argot

slang
In the argot of the underworld, she "was taken for a ride."

aria

operatic solo
At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria from Norma.

arid

dry; barren
The cactus had adapted to survive in an arid environment.

aristocracy

hereditary nobility; privileged class
Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy:

armada

fleet of warships
Queen Elizabeth's navy was able to defeat the mighty armada that threatened the English coast.

aromatic

fragrant
Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs from China to Europe.

arraign

charge in court; indict
After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the County Criminal Court.

array

clothe; adorn
She liked to watch her motherarray herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening.

array

marshal; draw up in order
His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him.

arrears

being in debt
He was in arrears with his payments on the car.

arrogance

pride, haughtiness
The arrogance of the nobility was resented by the middle class.

arroyo

gully
Until the heavy rains of the past spring, this arroyo had been a dry bed.

articulate

effective; distinct
Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers.

artifacts

products of primitive culture
Archaeologists debated the significance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor and came to
no conclusion.

artifice

deception; trickery
The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were often more effective than military
might.

artisan

a manually skilled worker
Artists and artisans alike are necessary to the development of a culture.

artless

without guile; open and honest
Red Riding Hood's artless comment, "Grandma, what big eyes you have!" indicates the child's innocent
surprises at her "grandmother's" changed appearance.

ascendancy

controlling influence
President Marcos failed to maintain his ascendency over Philippines.

asceptic

preventing infection; having a cleansing effect
Hospitals succeeded in lowering the mortality rate as soon as they introduced asceptic conditions.

asceticism

doctrine of self-denial
We find asceticism practiced in many monastries.

ascetic

practicing self-denial; austere
The wealthy young man could not understand the ascetic life led by the monks.

ascribe

refer; attribute; assign
I can ascribe no motive for her acts.

ashen

ash-colored; deadly pale
Her face was ashen with fear.

asinine

stupid
Your asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious consideration.

askance

with a sideways or indirect look
Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn.

askew

crookedly; slanted; at an angle
When he placed his hat askew upon his head, his observers laughed.

asperity

sharpness (of temper)
These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed.

aspersion

slanderous remark
Do not cast aspersions on her character.

aspirant

seeker after position or status
Although I am as aspirant for public office, I am not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses.

aspiration

noble ambition Youth's aspirations should be as lofty as the stars.

assail

assault
He was assailed with questions after his lecture.

assay

analyze; evaluate
When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein.

assent

agree; accept
It gives me great pleasure to assent to your request.

assert

state strongly or positively; insist on or demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc).
When Jill asserted that nobody else in the junior class had such an early curfew, her parents Asserted
themselves, telling her that if she didn't get home by nine o'clock she would be grounded for the week.

assessment

estimation; appraisal
I would like to have your assessment of the situation in South Africa.

assiduous

diligent
It took Rembrandt weeks of assiduous labor before he was satisfied with his portrait of his son.

assimilate

absorb; cause to become homogenous
The manner in which the United States was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the
nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries will always be a source of pride.

assuage

ease; lessen(pain)
Your messages of cheer should assuage her suffering.

assumption

something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of
The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her Assumption of
power.

assurance

promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence
When Gutherie gave Guiness his assurance that rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance
that Guiness was convinced.

asteroid

small planet
asteroids have become commonplace to the readers of interstellar travel stories in science fiction
magazines.

astigmatism

eye defect that prevents proper focus
As soon as his parents discovered that the boy suffered from astigmatism, they took him to the
optometrist for corrective glasses.

astral

relating to the stars
She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope revealed.

astringent

binding; causing contraction; harsh or severe
The astringent quality of unsweetened lemon juice made swallowing difficult.

astronomical

enormously large or extensive
The government seemed willing to spend astronomical sums on weapons development.

astute

wise; shrewd
That was a very astute observation.

asunder

into parts; apart
Their points of view are poles asunder.

asylum

place of refuge or shelter; protection
The refugees sought asylum from religious persecution in a new land.

asymmetric

not identical on both sides of a dividing central line
Because one eyebrow was set markedly higher than the other, William's face had a particularly asymmetric
appearance.

atavism

resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type;
throwback
Martin seemed an atavism to his Tuscan ancestors who lavished great care on their small plots of soil.

atheistic

denying the existence of God
His atheistic remarks shocked the religious worshippers.

atone

make amends for; pay for
He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime.

atrocity

brutal deed
In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies.

atrophy

wasting away
Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the atrophy of affected limbs.

attenuate

make thin; weaken
By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy lines.

attest

testify; bear witness
Having served as a member of a grand jury, I can attest that our system of indicting individuals is in need
of improvement.

attribute

ascribe; explain
I attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received from her parents.

attribute

essential quality
His outstanding attribute was his kindness.

attrition

gradual wearing down
They decided to wage a war of attrition rather than to rely on all-out attack.

audacious

daring; bold
Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, death-defying leap to
freedom and escaped Darth Vader's troops.

audit

examination of accounts
When the bank examiners arrived to hold their annual audit, they discovered the embezzlements of the
chief cashier.

augment

increase
How can we hope to augment our forces when our allies are deserting us?

augury

omen; prophecy
He interpreted the departures of the birds as an augury of evil.

august

impressive; majestic
Visiting the palace at Versailes, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself.

aureole

sun's corona; halo
Many medieval paintings depict saintly characters with aureols around their heads.

auroral

pertaining to the aurora borealis
The auroral display was particularly spectacular that evening.

auspicious

favoring success
With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail.

austere

strict, stern
His austere demeanor prevented us from engaging in our usual frivolous activities.

austerity

sternness; severity; lack of luxuries
The austerity and dignity of the court were maintained by the new justices, who were a strict and solemn
group.

authenticate

prove genuine
An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting, distinguishing it from its imitation.

authoritarian

favoring or exercising total control; non-democratic
The people had no control over their destiny; they were forced to obey the dictates of the authoritarian
regime.

authoritative

having the weight of authority; dictatorial
We accepted her analysis of the situation as authoritative.

autocrat

monarch with supreme power
He ran his office like an autocrat, giving no one else any authority.

automaton

mechanism that imitates actions of humans
Long before science fiction readers became aware of robots, writers were creating stories of automation
who could outperform humans.

autonomous

self-governing
This island is a colony; however, in most matters, it is autonomous and receives no orders from the mother
country.

autopsy

examination of a dead body; postmortem
The medical examiner ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

auxiliary

offering or providing help; additional or sub-sidiary
To prepare for the emergency, they built an auxiliary power station.

avarice

greed for wealth
King Midas's avarice has been famous for centuries.

averse

reluctant
He was averse to revealing the sources of his information.

aversion

firm dislike
Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.

avert

prevent; turn away
She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.

aver

state confidently
I wish to aver that I am certain of success.

aviary

enclosure for birds
The aviary at the zoo held nearly 300 birds.

avid

greedy; eager for
He was avid for learning and read everything he could get.

avocation

secondary or minor occupation
His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation
and concentrated on his avocation.

avow

declare openly
I must avow that I am innocent.

avuncular

like an uncle
Avuncular pride did not prevent him from noticing his nephew's shortcomings.

awe

solemn wonder
The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon.

awl

pointed tool used for piercing
She used an awl to punch additional holes in the leather belt she had bought.

awry

distorted; crooked He held his head awry, giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck during the night.

axiom

self-evident truth requiring no proof
Before a student can begin to think along the lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain
principles or axioms.

azure

sky blue
azure skies are indicative of good weather.

babble

chatter idly
The little girl babbled about her doll.

bacchanalian

drunken
Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy.

badger

pester; annoy
She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls.

badinage

teasing conversation
Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badinage.

baffle

frustrate; perplex
The new code baffled the enemy agents.

bait

harass; tease
The soldiers baited the prisoners, terrorizing them.

baleful

menacing; deadly
Casting a baleful eye at his successful rival, the rejected suitor stole off, vowing to have his revenge.

balk

foil
When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt.

balk

stoop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue
The chief of police balked at sending his officers into the riot-torn area.

ballast

heavy substance used to add stability or weight
The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an
even keel.

balmy

mild; fragrant
A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast.

balm

something that relieves pain
Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.

banal

hackneyed; commonplace; trite
His frequent use of cliches made his essay seem banal.

bandy

discuss lightly; exchange blows or words
The president refused to bandy words with reporters at the press conference.

bane

cause of ruin
Lack of public transportation is the bane of urban life.

bantering

good-naturedly ridiculing
They resented his bantering remarks because they misinterpreted his teasing as sarcasm.

barb

sharp projection form fishhook, etc.; pointed comment
The barb from the fishhook caught in his finger as he grabbed the fish.

bard

poet
The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy.

barefaced

shameless; bold; unconcealed
Shocked by Huck Finn's barefaced lies, Miss Watson prayed the good Lord would give him a sense of his
unregenerate wickedness.

baroque

highly ornate
Accustomed to the severe, angular lines of modern skyscrapers, they found the flamboyance of baroque
architecture amusing.

barrage

barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion
The company was forced to retreat through the barrage of heavy canyons.

barrister

counselor-at-law
Galsworthy started as a barrister, but when he found the practice of law boring, turned to writing.

barterer

trader
The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs.

bask

luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth
basking on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep.

bastion

stronghold; something seen as a source of protection
The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerrila
raids.

bate

let down; restrain
Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their curiosity.

bauble

trinket; trifle
The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag.

bawdy

indecent; obscene
She took offense at his bawdy remarks.

beatific

giving bliss; blissful
The beatific smile on the child's face made us very happy.

beatitude

blessedness; state of bliss
Growing closer to God each day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude.

bedizen

dress with vulgar finery
The witch doctors were bedizened in their gaudiest costumes.

bedraggle

wet thoroughly
We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing.

befuddle

confuse thoroughly
His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only on befuddling her further.

beget

father; produce; give rise to
One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another.

begrudge

resent
I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings.

beguile

amuse; delude; cheat
I beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire.

behemoth

huge creature; something of monstrous size or power
Sportcasters nicknamed the linebacker "The Behemoth."

beholden

obligated; indebted
Since I do not wish to be beholden to anyone, I cannot accept this favor.

behoove

be suited to; be incumbent upon
In this time of crisis, it behooves all of us to remain calm and await the instructions of our superiors.

belabor

explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally
The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring his point.

belated

delayed
He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend and explained that he had just
learned of her husband's untimely death.

beleaguer

besiege
As soon as the city was beleaguered, the life became more subdued as the citizens began their long wait for
outside assitance.

belie

contradict; give a false impression
His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity.

belittle

disparage; depreciate
Parents should not belittle their children's early attempts at drawing, but should encourage their efforts.

bellicose

warlike
His bellicose disposition alienated his friends.

belligerent

quarrelsome
Whenever he had too much to drink, he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers.

bemused

confused; lost in thought; preoccupied
Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face.

benediction

blessing
The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction.

benefactor

gift giver; patron
Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him a benediction.

beneficent

kindly; doing good
The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb his beneficent impulses before he gave away all his money
and left himself with nothing.

beneficiary

person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy
You may change your beneficiary as often as you wish.

benevolent

generous; charitable
His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.

benign

kindly; favorable; not malignant
The old man was well liked because of his benign attitude toward friend and stranger alike.

benison

blessing
Let us pray that the benison of peace once more shall prevail among the nations of the world.

bent

determined; natural talent or inclination
bent on advancing in the business world, the secretary heroine of Working Girl had a true bent for high
finance.

bequeath

leave to someone by means of a will; hand down
In his will, Father bequeathed his watch to Phillip; the bequest meant a great deal to the boy.

berate

scold strongly
He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness.

bereavement

state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved
His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement.

bereft

deprived of; lacking
The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds.

berserk

frenzied Angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the room.

beset

harass; trouble
Many problems beset the American public school system.

besmirch

soil, defile
The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society.

bestial

beastlike; brutal; inhuman
The Red Cross sought to put an end to the bestial treatment of prisoners of war.

bestow

confer
He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.

betroth

become engaged to marry
The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any
romance.

bevy

large group
The movie actor was surrounded by a bevy of startlets.

bicameral

two-chambered, as a legislative body
The United States Congress is a bicameral body.

bicker

quarrel
The children bickered morning, noon, and night, exasperating their parents.

biennial

every two years
The group held biennial meetings instead of annual ones.

bifurcated

divided into two branches; forked
With a bifurcated branch and a piece of elastic rubber, he made a crude but effective slingshot.

bigotry

stubborn intolerance
Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by
several of his classmates.

bilious

suffering from indigestion; irritable
His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties.

bilk

swindle; cheat
The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies.

bivouac

temporary encampment
While in bivouac, we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars.

bizarre

fantastic; violently contrasting
The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed.

blanch

bleach; whiten
Although age had blanched his hair, he was still vigorous and energetic.

blandishment

flattery
Despite the salesperson's blandishments, the customer did not buy the outfit.

bland

soothing; mild
She used a bland ointment for her sunburn.

blase

bored with pleasure or dissipation
Your blase attitude gives your students an erroneous impression of the joys of scholarship.

blasphemous

profane; impious
The people in the room were shocked by his his blasphemous language.

blatant

extremely obvious; loudly offensive
Caught in a blatant lie, the scoundrel had only one regret: he wished that he had lied more subtly.

bleak

cold; cheerless
The Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts.

blighted

suffering from a disease; destroyed
The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.

blithe

gay; joyous; careless
Shelley called the skylark a "blithe spirit" because of its happy song.

bloated

swollen or puffed as with water or air
Her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water.

blowhard

talkative boaster
After all Sol's talk about his big show business connections led nowhere, Sally decided he was just another
blowhard.

bludgeon

club; heavy-headed weapon
His walking stick served him as a bludgeon on many occasions.

bluff

pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff
Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff, she was astounded
when he dove from the high bluff into the waters below.

blunder

error
The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture.

blurt

utter impulsively
Before she could stop him, he blurted out the news.

bode

foreshadow; portend
The gloomy skies and the sulfurious odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who settled in the area.

bogus

counterfeit; not authentic
The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar bills.

boisterous

violent; rough; noisy
The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them.

bolster

support; reinforce
The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguments.

bombast

pompous, inflated language
Filled with bombast, the orator's speech left the audience more impressed with his pomposity than with his
logic.

boon

blessing; benefit
The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.

boorish

rude; insensitive
Though Mr. Potts constantly interrupted his wife, she ignored his boorish behavior, for she had lost hope
of teaching him courtesy.

bouillon

clear beef soup
The cup of bouillon served by the stewards was welcomed by those who had been chilled by the cold
ocean breezes.

bountiful

generous; showing bounty
She distributed gifts in a bountiful and gracious manner.

bourgeois

middle class
The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois, who resented the aristocracy.

bovine

cowlike; placid and dull
Nothing excites Esther; even when she won the state lottery, she still preserved her air of bovine calm.

bowdlerize

expurgate
After the film editors had bowdlerized the language in the script, the motion picture's rating was changed
from "R" to "PG."

brackish

somewhat saline
He found the only wells in the area were brackish; drinking the water made him nauseous.

braggadocio

boasting
He was disliked because his manner was always full of braggadocio.

braggart

boaster
Modest by nature, she was no braggart, preferring to let her accomplishments speak for themselves.

bravado

swagger; assumed air of defiance The bravado of the young criminal disappeared when he was confronted by the victims of his brutal attack.

brawn

muscular strength; sturdiness
It takes brawn to become a champion weight-lifter.

brazen

insolent
Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.

breach

breaking of contract or duty; fissure; gap
They found a breach in the enemy's fortifications and penetrated their lines.

breadth

width; extent
We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge.

brevity

conciseness
brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word.

brindled

tawny or grayish with streaks or spots
He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies were brindled; he had hoped for animals of uniform
color.

bristling

rising like bristles; showing irritation
The dog stood there, bristling with anger.

brittle

easily broken; difficult
My employer's brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her.

broach

open up
He did not even try to broach the subject of poetry.

brocade

rich, figured fabric
The sofa was covered with expensive brocade.

brochure

pamphlet
This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture.

brooch

ornamental clasp
She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom.

brook

tolerate; endure
The dean would brook no interference with his disciplinary actions.

browbeat

bully; intimidate
Billy resisted Ted's attempts to browbeat him into handing over his lunch money.

brusque

blunt; abrupt
She was offended by his brusque reply.

bucolic

rustic; pastoral The meadow was the scene of bucolic gaiety.

buffoonery

clowning
John Candy's buffoonery in Uncle Buck was hilarious.

bugaboo

bugbear; object of baseless terror
If we become frightened by such bugaboos, we are no wiser than the birds who fear scarecrows.

bullion

gold and silver in the form of bars
Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox.

bulwark

earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends
The navy is our principal bulwark against invasion.

bungle

spoil by clumsy behavior
I was afraid you would bungle his assignment but I had no one else to send.

bureaucracy

government by bureaus
Many people fear that the constant introduction of federal agencies will create a government by
bureaucracy.

burgeon

grow forth; send out buds
In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come.

burlesque

give an imitation that ridicules
In his caricature, he burlesqued the mannerisms of his adversary.

burly

husky; muscular
The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease.

burnish

make shiny by rubbing; polish
The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight.

buttress

support; prop up
Just as architects buttress the walls of cathedrals with flying buttresses, debates buttress their arguments
with facts.

buxom

full-bosomed; plump; jolly
High fashion models usually are slender rather than buxom.

cabal

small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
The cabal was defeated when its scheme was discovered.

cache

hiding place
The detectives followed the suspects until he led them to the cache where he had stored his loot.

cacophony

discord
Some people seem to enjoy the cacophony of an orchestra that is tuning up.

cadaverous

like a corpse; pale
From his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the disease had ravaged him.

cadaver

corpse
In some states, it is illegal to dissect cadavers.

cadence

rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat
Marching down the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.

cajole

coax; wheedle
I will not be cajoled into granting your wish.

calamity

disaster; misery
As news of the calamity spread, offers of relief poured in to the stricken community.

caliber

ability; capacity
A man of such caliber should not be assigned such menial tasks.

calligraphy

beautiful writing; excellent penmanship
As we examine ancient manuscripts, we became impressed with the calligraphy of the scribes.

callous

hardened; unfeeling
He had worked in the hospital for so many years that he was callous to the suffering in the wards.

callow

youthful; immature
In that youthful movement, the leaders were only a little less callow than their immature followers.

calorific

heat-producing
Coal is much more calorific than green wood.

calumny

malicious misrepresentation
He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.

camaraderie

good-fellowship
What he loved best about his job was the sense of camaraderie he and his co-workers shared.

cameo

shell or jewel carved in relief
Tourists are advised not to purchase cameos from the street peddlers of Rome who sell poor specimens of
the carver's art.

canard

unfounded rumor
It is almost impossible to protect oneself from such a base canard.

candor

frankness
The candor and simplicity of his speech impressed all, it was all clear he held nothing back.

canine

related to dogs; doglike
Some days the canine population of Berkeley seems almost to outnumber the human population.

canker

any ulcerous sore; any evil
Poverty is a canker in the body politic; it must be cured.

canny

shrewd; thrifty
The canny Scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers.

cantankerous

ill-humored; irritable
Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a
cantankerous patient.

cantata

story set to music, to be sung by a chorus
The choral society sang the new cantata composed by its leader.

canter

slow gallop
Because the racehorse had outdistanced its competition so easily, the reporter wrote that the race was won
in a canter.

canto

division of a long poem
Dante's poetic masterpiece The Divine Comedy is divided into cantos.

cant

pious phraseology; jargon of criminals
Angry that the president had slashed the education budget, we dismissed his speech on the importance of
education as mere cant.

canvass

determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.
After canvassing the sentiments of his constituents, the congressman was confident that he represented the
majority opinion of his district.

capacious

spacious
In the capacious areas of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered while waiting for their train.

capillary

having a very fine bore
The changes in surface tension of liquids in capillary vessels is of special interest to physicists.

capitulate

surrender
The enemy was warned to capitulate or face annihilation.

caprice

whim
She was an unpredictable creature, acting on caprice, never taking thought of the consequences.

capricious

fickle; incalculable
The storm was capricious and changed course constantly.

caption

title; chapter heading; text under illustration
I find the captions that accompany these cartoons very clever and humorous.

captious

faultfinding
His criticisms were always captious and frivolous, never offering constructive suggestions.

carafe

glass water bottle
With each dinner, the patron receives a carafe of red or white wine.

carapace

shell covering the back (of a turtle, crab, etc)
At the children's zoo, Richard perched on top of the giant turtle's hard carapace as it slowly made its way
around the enclosure.

carat

unit of weight for precious stones; measure of fineness of gold
He gave her a diamond that weighed three carats and was mounted in an eighteen-carat gold band.

carcinogenic

causing cancer
Many supposedly harmless substances have been revealed to be carcinogenic.

cardinal

chief
If you want to increase your word power, the cardinal rule of vocabulary-building is to read.

careen

lurch; sway from side to side
The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the corner.

caricature

distortion; burlesque
The caricatures he drew always emphasized personal weaknesses of the people he burlesqued.

carillon

set of bells capable of being played
The carillon in the bell tower of the Coca-Cola pavilion at the New York World's Fair provided musical
entertainment every hour.

carnage

destruction of life
The carnage that can be caused by atomic warfare adds to the responsibilities of our statesmen.

carnal

fleshly
The public was more interested in carnal pleasures than in spiritual matters.

carnivorous

meat-eating
The lion is a carnivorous animal.

carousal

drunken revel
The party degenerated into an ugly carousal.

carping

petty criticism; fault-finding
Welcoming constructive criticism, Lexy appreciated her editor's comments, finding them free of carping.

carrion

rotting flesh of a dead body
Buzzards are nature's scavengers; they eat the carrion left behind by other predators.

cartographer

map-maker
Though not a professional cartographer, Tolkien was able to construct a map of the fictional world.

cascade

small waterfall We could not appreciate the beauty of the many cascades as we made detours around each of them to
avoid getting wet.

caste

one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society, social stratification; prestige
The differences created by caste in India must be wiped out if true democracy is to prevail in that country.

castigation

punishment; severe criticism
Sensitive even to mild criticism, Woolf could not bear castigation that she found in certain reviews.

casualty

serious or fatal accident
The number of automotive casualties on this holiday weekend was high.

cataclysm

deluge; upheaval
A cataclysm such as the French Revolution affects all countries.

catalyst

agent that brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged
Many chemical reactions cannot take place without the presence of a catalyst.

catapult

slingshot; hurling machine
Airplanes are sometimes launched from battleships by catapults.

cataract

great waterfall; eye abnormality
She gazed with awe at the mighty cataract known as Niagara Falls.

catastrophe

calamity
The Johnstown flood was a catastrophe.

catechism

book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer
He taught by engaging his pupils in a catechism until they gave him the correct answer.

categorical

without exceptions; unqualified; absolute
Though the captain claimed he was never, never sick at sea, he finally qualified his categorical denial; he
was hardly ever sick at sea.

catharsis

purging or cleansing of any passage of the body
Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a catharsis by purging the soul of base concepts.

cathartic

purgative
Some drugs act as laxatives when taken in small doses but act as cathartics when taken in much larger
doses.

catholic

universal; wide-ranging liberal
He was extremely catholic in his taste and read everything he could find in the library.

caucus

private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy
At the opening of Congress the members of the Democratic Party held a caucus to elect the majority
leader of the House and the party whip.

caulk

to make watertight (by plugging seams) When water from the shower leaked into the basement, we knew it was time to caulk the tiles at the edges
of the shower stall.

causal

implying a cause-and-effect relationship
The psychologist maintained there was a causal relationship between the nature of one's early childhood
experiences and one's adult personality.

caustic

burning; sarcastically biting
The critic's caustic remarks angered the hapless actors who were the subjects of his sarcasm.

cauterize

burn with hot iron or caustic
In order to prevent infection, the doctor cauterized the wound.

cavalcade

procession; parade
As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was motley group.

cavalier

casual and offhand; arrogant
Sensitive about having her ideas taken lightly, Marcia felt insulted by Mark's cavalier dismissal of her
suggestion.

cavil

make frivolous objections
I respect your sensible criticisms, but I dislike the way you cavil about unimportant details.

cede

transfer; yield title to
I intend to cede this property to the city.

celerity

speed; rapidity
Hamlet resented his mother's celerity in remarrying within a month after his father's death.

celestial

heavenly
She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited virtuous souls in the hereafter.

celibate

abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried
Though the late Havelock Ellis wrote extensively about sexual customs and was considered an expert in
such matters, recent studies maintain he was celibate throughout his life.

censorious

critical
censorious people delight in casting blame.

censor

overseer of morals; person who eliminates inappropriate matter
Soldiers dislike having their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this precaution.

censure

blame; criticize
He was censured for his inappropriate behavior.

centaur

mythical figure, half man and half horse
I was particularly impressed by the statue of the centaur in the Roman Hall of the museum.

centigrade

denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius) On the centigrade thermometer, the freezing point of water is zero degrees.

centrifugal

radiating; departing from the center
Many automatic drying machines remove excess moisture from clothing by centrifugal force.

centrifuge

machine that separates substances by whirling them
At the dairy, we employ a centrifuge to separate cream from milk.

centripetal

tending toward the center
Does centripetal force or the force of gravity bring orbiting bodies to the earth's surface?

centurion

Roman army officer
Because he was in command of a company of one hundred soldiers, he was called a centurion.

cerebral

pertaining to the brain or intellect
The content of philosophical works is cerebral in nature and requires much thought.

cerebration

thought
Mathematics problems sometimes require much cerebration.

ceremonious

marked by formality
Ordinary dress would be in appropriate at so ceremonious an affair.

cessation

stopping
The workers threatened a cessation of all activities if their demands were not met.

cession

yielding to another; ceding
The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussed in this chapter.

chafe

warm by rubbing
The collar chafed his neck.

chaffing

bantering; joking
Sometimes his flippant and chaffing remarks annoy us.

chaff

worthless products of an endeavor
When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.

chagrin

vexation; disappointment
Her refusal to go with us filled us with chagrin.

chalice

goblet; consecrated cup
In a small room adjoining the cathedral, many ornately decorated chalices made by the most famous
European goldsmiths were on display.

chameleon

lizard that changes color in different situations
Like the chameleon, he assumed the political coloration of every group he met.

champion

support militantly Martin Luther King, Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize because he championed the oppressed in their struggle
for equality.

chaotic

in utter disorder
He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs.

charisma

divine gift; great popular charm or appeal
Political commentators have deplored the importance of a candidate's charisma in these days of television
campaigning.

charlatan

quack; pretender to knowledge
When they realized that the Wizard didn't know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her friends
were sure they'd been duped by a charlatan.

chary

cautious; sparing or restrained about giving
A prudent, thrifty New Englander, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary
of paying people unnecessary compliments.

chase

ornament a metal surface by indenting
With his hammer, he carefully chased an intricate design onto the surface of the chalice.

chasm

abyss
They could not see the bottom of the chasm.

chassis

framework and working parts of an automobile
Examining the car after the accident, the owner discovered that the body had been ruined but that the
chassis was unharmed.

chasten

discipline; punish in order to correct
Whom God loves, God chastens.

chaste

pure
Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the occasion.

chastise

punish
I must chastise you for this offense.

chauvinist

blindly devoted patriot
A chauvinist cannot recognize any faults in his country, no matter how flagrant they may be.

checkered

marked by changes in fortune
During his checkered career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses.

check

stop motion; curb or restrain
Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby's lunge at his sister. "Young man," she said, "you'd better
check your temper."

cherubic

angelic; innocent-looking
With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a particularly cherubic child.

chicanery

trickery
Your deceitful tactics in this case are indications of chicanery.

chide

scold
Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying.

chimerical

fantastic; highly imaginative
Poe's chimerical stories are sometimes too morbid for reading in bed.

chivalrous

courteous; faithful; brave
chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds.

choleric

hot-tempered
His flushed, angry face indicated a choleric nature.

choreography

art of dancing
Martha Graham introduced a form of choreography that seemed awkward and alien to those who had
been brought up on classic ballet.

chronicle

report; record (in chronological order)
The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle the latest escapades of the socially prominent celebrities.

chronic

long established, as a disease
The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas
in his apartment.

churlish

boorish; rude
Dismayed by his churlish manners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again.

ciliated

having minute hairs
The paramecium is a ciliated, one-celled animal.

cipher

nonentity; worthless person or thing
She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher and wondered why she had ever married him.

cipher

secret code
Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent to him in cipher.

circlet

small ring; band
This tiny circlet is very costly because it is set with precious stones.

circuitous

roundabout
Because of the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a circuitous route.

circumlocution

indirect or roundabout expression
He was afraid to call spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject.

circumscribe

limit; confine Although I do not wish to circumscribe your activities, I must insist that you complete this assignment
before you start anything else.

circumspect

prudent; cautious
Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect.

circumvent

outwit; baffle
In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting
our major campaign.

citadel

fortress
The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting angel.

cite

quote; commend
She could cite passages in the Bible from memory.

civil

having to do with citizens or the state; courteous and polite
Although internal Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax
evaders.

clairvoyant

having foresight; fortuneteller
Cassandra's clairvoyant warning was not heeded by the Trojans.

clamber

climb by crawling
She clambered over the wall.

clamor

noise
The clamor of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a nap.

clandestine

secret
After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a clandestine meeting.

clangor

loud, resounding noise
The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel.

clapper

striker (tongue) of a bell
Wishing to be undisturbed by the bell, Dale wound his scarf around the clapper to muffle its striking.

clarion

shrill, trumpetlike sound
We woke to the clarion to muffle its striking.

claustrophobia

fear of being locked in
His fellow classmates laughed at his claustrophobia and often threatened to lock him in his room.

clavicle

collarbone
Even though he wore shoulder pads, the football player broke his clavicle during a practice scrimmage.

cleave

split asunder
The lightening cleaves the tree in two.

cleft

split
Erosion caused a cleft in the huge boulder.

clemency

disposition ot be lenient; mildness, as of the weather
The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for
her clemency toward first offenders.

cliche

phrase culled in meaning by repetition
High school compositions are often marred by such cliches as "strong as an ox."

clientele

body of customers
The rock club attracted a young, stylish clientele.

climactic

relating to the highest point
When he reached the climactic portions of the book, he could not stop reading.

clime

region; climate
His doctors advised him to move to a milder clime.

clique

small, exclusive group
She charged that a clique had assumed control of school affairs.

cloister

monastery or convent
The nuns lived in the cloister.

clout

great influence (especially political or social)
Gatsby wondered whether he had enough clout to be admitted to the exclusive club.

cloying

distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental
Disliking the cloying sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose a homemade carrot cake
for their reception.

coagulate

thicken; congeal; clot
Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to coagulate as it stands.

coalesce

combine; fuse
The brooks coalesce into one large river.

coda

concluding section of a musical or literary composition
The piece concluded with a distinctive coda that strikingly brought together various motifs.

coddle

treat gently; pamper
Don't coddle the children to much; they need a taste of discipline.

codicil

supplement to the body of a will
This codicil was drawn up five years after the writing of the original will.

codify

arrange (laws, rules) as a code; classify We need to take the varying rules and regulations of the different health agencies and codify them into a
national health code.

coercion

use of force
They forced him to obey, but only by great coercion.

coeval

living at the same time as; contemporary
coeval with the dinosaur, the pterodactyl flourished during the Mesozoic era.

cogent

convincing
She presented cogent arguments to the jury.

cogitate

think over
cogitate on this problem; the solution will come.

cognate

related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature
The English word "mother" cognate to the Latin word "mater," whose influence is visible in the words
"maternal" and "maternity."

cognitive

having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental precesses
Though Jack was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced
intellectually.

cognizance

knowledge
During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international
situation.

cog

tooth projecting from a wheel
A bicycle chain moves through a series of cogs in order to propel the bike.

cohere

stick together
Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids.

cohesion

tendency to keep together
A firm believer in the maxim "Divide and conquer," the emperor, by lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the
cohesion ofthe free nations.

cohorts

armed band
Caesar and his Roman cohorts conquered almost all of the known world.

coiffure

hairstyle
You can make a statement with your choice of coiffure: in the 60's many African-Americans affirmed their
racial heritage by wearing their hair in Afros.

coincident

occurring at the same time
Some people find the coincident events in Hardy's novels annoyingly improbable.

colander

utensil with perforated bottom used for straining
Before serving the spaghetti, place it in a colander to drain it.

collaborate

work together
Two writers collaborated in preparing this book.

collage

work of art put together from fragments
Scraps of cloth, paper doilies, and old photographs all went into her collage.

collateral

security given for loan
The sum you wish to borrow is so large that it must be secured by collateral.

collate

examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order
They collated the newly found manuscripts to determine their age.

collation

a light meal
Tea sandwiches and cookies were offered at the collation.

colloquial

pertaining to conversational or common speech
Your use of colloquial expressions in a formal essay such as the one you have presented spoils the effect
you hope to achieve.

colloquy

informal discussion
I enjoy our colloquies but I sometimes wish that they could be made more formal and more searching.

collusion

conspiring in a fraudulent scheme
The swindlers were found guilty of collusion.

colossal

huge
Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage.

colossus

gigantic statue
The legendary Colossus of Rhodes, bronze statue of the sun god that dominated the harbor of the Greek
seaport, was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

comatose

in a coma; extremely sleepy
The long-winded orator soon had his audience in a comatose state.

combustible

easily burned
After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire commissioner ordered that all combustible
materials be kept in safe containers.

comely

attractive; agreeable
I would rather have a poor and comely wife than a rich and homely one.

comestible

something fit to be eaten
The roast turkey and other comestibles, the wines, and the excellent service made this Thanksgiving dinner
particularly memorable.

comeuppance

rebuke; deserts
After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his comeuppance.

comity

courtesy; civility
A spirit of comity should exist among nations.

commandeer

to draft for military purposes; to take for public use
The policeman commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest
hospital.

commemorative

remembering; honoring
The new commemorative stamp honors the late Martin Luther King, Jr.

commensurate

equal in extent
Your reward will be commensurate with your effort.

commiserate

feel or express pity or sympathy for
Her friends commiserated with the widow.

commodious

spacious and comfortable
After sleeping in a small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious.

communal

held in common; of a group of people
When they were divorced, they had trouble dividing their communal property.

compact

agreement; contract
The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of government.

compact

tightly packed; firm; brief
His short, compact body was better suited to wrestling than to basketball.

compatible

harmonious; in harmony with
They were compatible neighbors, never quarreling over unimportant matters.

compelling

overpowering; irresistible in effect
The prosecutor presented a well-reasoned case, but the defense attorney's compelling arguments for
leniency won over the jury.

compendium

brief, comprehensive summary
This text can serve as a compendium of the tremendous amount of new material being developed in this
field.

compensatory

making up for; repaying
Can a compensatory education program make up for the inadequate schooling he received in earlier years?

compilation

listing of statistical information in tabular or book form
The compilation of available scholarships serves a very valuable purpose.

complacent

self-satisfied
There was a complacent look on his face as he examined his paintings.

complaisant

trying to please; obliging
The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant manner.

complement

complete; consummate; make perfect
The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese.

compliance

conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield
The design for the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code.

compliant

yielding
He was compliant and ready to go along with his friends' desires.

complicity

participation; involvement
You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your
involvement immediately.

component

element; ingredient
I wish all the components of my stereo system were working at the same time.

comport

bear one's self; behave
He comported himself with great dignity.

composure

mental calmness
Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.

compound

combine; constitute; pay interest; increase
The makers of the popular cold remedy compounded a nasal decongestant with an antihistamine.

comprehensive

thorough; inclusive
This book provides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT.

compress

close; squeeze; contract
She compressed the package under her arm.

comprise

include; consist of
If the District of Columbia were to be granted a statehood, the United States of America would comprise
fifty-onestates, not just fifty.

compromise

adjust; endanger the interests or reputation of
Your presence at the scene of the dispute compromises our claim to neutrality in this matter.

compunction

remorse
The judge was especially severe in this sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no
compunction for his heinous crime.

compute

reckon; calculate
He failed to compute the interest, so his bank balance was not accurate.

concatenate

link as in a chain It is difficult to understand how these events could concatenate as they did without outside assistance.

concave

hollow
The back-packers found partial shelter from the storm by huddling against the concave wall of the cliff.

concede

admit; hield
Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused to concede that she was right.

conceit

whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor
He was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of
phrase.

concentric

having a common center
The target was made of concentric circles.

conception

beginning; forming of a idea
At the first conception of the work, he was consulted.

concerted

mutually agreed on; done together
The girl scouts in the troop made a concerted effort to raise funds for their annual outing, and emitted a
concerted sigh when their leader announced that they had reached their goal.

concession

an act of yielding
Before they could reach an agreement, both sides had to make certain concessions.

conciliatory

reconciling; soothing
She was still angry despite his conciliatory words.

concise

brief and compact
When you define a new word, be concise; the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember.

conclave

private meeting
He was present at all their conclaves as an unofficial observer.

conclusive

decisive; ending all debate
When the stolen books turned up in John's locker, we finally had conclusive evidence of the identity of the
mysterious thief.

concoct

prepare by combining; make up in concert
How did the inventive chef ever concoct such strange dish?

concomitant

that which accompanies
Culture is not always a concomitant of wealth.

concord

harmony
Watching Tweediedum and Tweedledee battle, Alice wondered why the two brothers could not manage to
life in concord.

concurrent

happening at the same time
In America, the colonists were resisting the demands of the mother contry; at the concurrent moment in
France, the middle class was sowing the seeds of rebellion.

concur

agree Did you concur with the decision of the court or did you find it unfair?

condescend

bestow courtesies with a superior air
The king condescended to grant an audience to the friends of the condemned man.

condign

adequate; deservedly severe
The public approved the condign punishment for the crime.

condiments

seasonings; spices
Spanish food is full of condiments.

condole

express sympathetic sorrow
His friends gathered to condole with him over his loss.

condone

overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse
Unlike Widow Douglass, who condoned Huck's minor offenses, Miss Watson did nothing but scold.

conducive

helpful; contributive
Rest and proper diet are conducive to good health.

conduit

aqueduct; passageway for fluids
Water was brought to the army in the desert by an improvised conduit from the adjoining mountain.

confidant

trusted friend
He had no confidants with whom he could discuss his problems at home.

confiscate

seize; commandeer
The army confiscated all available supplies of uranium.

conflagration

great fire
In the conflagration that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed.

confluence

flowing together; crowd
They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.

conformity

harmony; agreement
In conformity with our rules and regulations, I am calling a meeting of our organization.

confound

confuse; puzzle
No mystery could confound Sherlock Holmes for long.

congeal

freeze; coagulate
His blood congealed in his veins as he saw the dread monster rush toward him.

congenial

pleasant; friendly My father loved to go out for a meal with congenial companions.

congenital

existing at birth
His congenital deformity disturbed his parents.

conglomeration

mass of material sticking together
In such a conglomeration of miscellaneous statistics, it was impossible to find a single area of analysis.

congruence

correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship
The student demonstrated the congruence of the two triangles by using the hypotenuse-arm theorem.

conifer

pine tree; cone-bearing tree
According to geologists, the conifers were the first plants to bear flowers.

conjecture

surmise; guess
I will end all your conjectures; I admit I am guilty as charged.

conjugal

pertaining to marriage
Their dreams of conjugal bliss were shattered as soon as their temperaments clashed.

conjure

summon a devil; proactive magic; imagine; invent
He conjured up an image of a reformed city and had the voters completely under his spell.

connivance

pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend
With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher.

connoisseur

person competent to act as judge of art, ect.; a lover of an art
She had developed into a connoisseur of fine china.

connotation

suggested or implied meaning of an expression
Foreigners frequently are unaware of the connotations of the words they use.

connubial

pertaining to maffige or the matrimonial state
In his telegram, he wished the newlyweds a lifetime of connubial bliss.

consanguinity

kinship
The lawsuit developed into a test of the consanguinity of the claimant to the estate.

conscientious

scrupulous; careful
A conscientious editor checked every definition for its accuracy.

conscript

draftee; person forced into military service
Did Rambo volunteer to fight in Vietnam, or was he a conscript, drafted against his will?

consecrate

dedicate; sanctify
We shall consecrate our lives to this noble purpose.

consensus

general agreement
The consensus indicates that we are opposed to entering into this pact.

consequential

pompous; self-important
Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a consequential air.

conservatory

school of the fine arts (especiallymusic or drama)
A gifted violinist, Marya was selected to study at the conservatory.

consign

deliver officially; entrust; set apart
The court consigned the child to her paternal grandmother's care.

consistency

absence of contradictions; dependability; uniformity; degree of thickness
Holmes judged puddings and explanations on their consistency; he liked his puddings without lumps and
his explanations without improbabilities.

console

lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort
When her father died, Marius did his best to console Cosette.

consonance

harmony; agreement
Her agitation seemed out of consonance with her usual calm.

consort

associate with
We frequently judge people by the company with whom they consort.

consort

husband or wife
The search for a consort for the young Queen Victoria ended happily.

conspiracy

treacherous plot
Brutus and Cassius joined in the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar.

constituent

supporter
The congressman received hundreds of letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment
failed to pass.

constraint

compulsion; repression of feelings
There was a feeling of constraint in the room because no one dared to criticize the speaker.

construe

explain; interpret
If I construe your remarks correctly, you disagree with the theory already advanced.

consummate

complete
I have never seem anyone who makes as many stupid errors as you do; you must be a consummate idiot.

contagion

infection
Fearing contagion, they took drastic steps to prevent the spread of the disease.

contaminate

pollute
The sewage system of the city so contaminated the water that swimming was forbidden.

contempt

scorn; disdain Even if you feel superior to others, it is unwise to show your contempt for them.

contend

struggle; compete; assert earnestly
In Revolt of the Black Athlete, sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young black athletes have been
exploited by some college recruiters.

contentious

quarrelsome
We heard loud and contentious noises in the next room.

contest

dispute
The defeated candidate attempted to contest the election results.

context

writings preceding and following the passage quoted
Because these lines are taken out of context, they do not convey the message the author intended.

contiguous

adjacent to; touching upon
The two countries are contiguous for a few miles; then they are separated by the gulf.

continence

self-restraint; sexual chastity
She vowed to lead a life of continence.

contingent

conditional
The continuation of this contract is contingent on the quality of your first output.

contortions

twistings; distortions
As the effects of the opiate wore away, the contortions of the patient became more violent and
demonstrated how much pain she was enduring.

contraband

illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods
The coast guard tries to prevent contraband in U.S. waters.

contravene

contradict; oppose: infringe on or transgress
Mr. Barrett did not expect his frail daughter Elizabeth to contravene his will by eloping with Robert
Browning.

contrite

penitent
Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence.

contrived

forced; artificial; not spontaneous
Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws; James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then
retreated into silence.

controvert

oppose with arguments; contradict
To controvert your theory will require much time but it is essential that we disprove it.

contumacious

disobedient; resisting authority
The contumacious mob shouted defiantly at the police.

contusion

bruise She was treated for contusions and abrasions.

conundrum

riddle; difficult problem
During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children.

convene

assemble
Because much is needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the legislature to convene in
special session by January 15.

conventional

ordinary; typical
His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for his wife's eccentric family.

convention

social or moral custom; established practice
Flying in the face of convention, George Sand (Amandine Dudevant) shocked her contemporaries by
taking lovers and wearing men's clothes.

converge

come together
Marchers converged on Washington for the great Save Our Cities-Save Our Children March.

conversant

familiar with
The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence.

converse

opposite
The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation.

convert

one who has adopted a different religion or opinion
On his trip to Japan, though the President spoke at length about the merits of American automobiles, he
made few converts to his beliefs.

convex

curving outward
He polished the convex lens of his telescope.

conveyance

vehicle; transfer
During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of conveyances.

conviction

strongly held belief
Nothing could shake his conviction that she was innocent.

dais

raised platform for guests of honor
When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him.

dally

trifle with; procrastinate
Laertes told Ophelia that Hamlet could only dally with her affections.

dank

damp
The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy.

dapper

neat and trim
In "The Odd Couple," Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand
to have a hair out of place.

dappled

spotted
The sunlight filtering though the screens created a dappled effect on the wall.

daub

smear (as with paint)
From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils.

dauntless

bold
Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment.

daunt

intimidate
Your threats cannot daunt me.

dawdle

loiter; waste time
Inasmuch as we must meet a deadline, do not dawdle over this work.

deadlock

standstill; stalemate
The negotiations had reached a deadlock.

deadpan

wooden; impassive
We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.

dearth

scarcity
The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.

debacle

breaking up; downfall This debacle in the government can only result in anarchy.

debase

reduce to lower state
Do not debase youself by becoming maudlin.

debauch

corrupt; make intemperate
A vicious newspaper can debauch public ideals.

debilitate

weaken; enfeeble
Overindulgence debilitates character as well as physical stamina.

debonair

friendly; aiming to please
The debonair youth was liked by all who met him, because of his cheerful and obliging manner.

debris

rubble
A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, workers were still carting away the debris.

debunk

expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc.; ridicule
Pointing out that he conhsistently had voted afainst strenghtening antipollution legislation, reporters
debunked the candidate's claim that he was a fervent environmentalist.

debutante

yound woman making formal entrance into society
As a debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers.

decadence

decay
The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.

decant

pour off gently
Be sure to decant this wine before serving it.

decapitate

behead
They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her.

decelerate

slow down
Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly.

deciduous

falling off, as of leaves
The oak is a deciduous tree.

decimate

kill, usually one out of ten
We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.

decipher

decode
I could not decipher the doctor's handwriting.

declivity

downward slope
The children loved to ski down the declivity.

decollete

having a low-cut neckline Fashion decrees that evening gowns be decollete this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue.

decomposition

decay
Despite the body's advanced state of decomposition, the police were able to identify the murdered man.

decorum

propriety; seemliness
Shocked by the unruly behavior, the teacher criticized the class for its lack of decorum.

decoy

lure or bait
The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy.

decrepitude

state of collagse caused by illness or old age
I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged
twenty years in six months.

decry

express strong disapproval of ; disparage
The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of
financial and moral support for children in America today.

deducible

derived byreasoning
If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible.

deface

mar; disfigure
If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine.

defamation

harming a person's reputation
Such defamation of character may result in a slander suit.

default

failure to do
As a result of her husband's failure to appear in court, she was granted a divorce by default.

defeatist

resigned to defeat; accepting defeat as a natural outcome
If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed.

defection

desertion
The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause.

deference

courteous regard for another's wish
In deference to his desires, the employers granted him a holiday.

defile

pollute; profane
The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.

definitive

most reliable or complee
Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great
Emancipator.

deflect

turn aside
His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.

defoliate

destroy leaves
In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the woodlands.

defray

provide ofr the payment of
Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education.

defrock

to strip a priest or minister of church authority
We knew the minister had violated church regulations, but we had not realized his offense was serious
enough to cause him to be defrocked.

deft

neat; skillful
The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop.

defunct

dead; no longer in use or existence
The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation.

degenerate

become worse; deteriorate
As the fight dragged on, the champion's style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet.

degraded

lowered in rank; debased
The degraded wretch spoke only of his past glories and honors.

dehydrate

remove water from; dry out
Vigorous dancing quickly dehydrates the body; between dances, be sure to drink more water than normal.

deify

turn into a god; idolize
Admire the rock star all you want; just don't deify him.

deign

condescend
He felt that he would debase himself if he deigned to answer his critics.

deleterious

harmful
Workers in nuclear research must avoid the deleterious effects of radioactive substances.

delete

erase; strike out
If you delete this paragraph, the composition will have more appeal.

deliberate

consider; ponder; unhurried
Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she made her decision.

delineate

portray
He is weakest when he attempts to delineate character.

delirium

mental disorder marked by confusion
The drunkard in his delirium saw strange animals.

delta

flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river
His dissertation discussed the effect of intermittent flooding on the fertility of the Nile delta.

delude

deceive
Do not delude yourself into believing that he will relent.

deluge

flood; rush
When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications.

delusion

false belief; hallucination
This scheme is a snare and a delusion.

delusive

deceptive; raising vain hopes
Do not raise your hopes on the basis of his delusive promises.

delve

dig; investigate
delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's job.

demagogue

person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader
He was accused of being a demogogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners.

demeanor

behavior; bearing
His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers.

demean

degrade; humiliate
He felt that he would demean himself if he replied to the scurrilous letter.

demented

insane
She became increasingly demented and had to be hospitalized.

demise

death
Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed.

demographic

related to population balance
In conducting a survey, one should take into account demographic trends in the region.

demolition

destruction
One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by the
bombing of rail lines and the terminals.

demoniac

fiendish
The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture.

demotic

pertaining to the people
He lamented the passing of aristocratic society and maintained that a demotic society would lower the
nation's standards.

demure

grave; serius; coy She was demure and reserved.

demur

delay; object
To demur at this time will only worsen the already serious situation; now is the time for action.

denigrate

blacken
All attempts to denigrate the character of our late President have failed; the people still love him and
cherish his memory.

denizen

inhabitant of
Ghosts are denizens of the land of the dead who return to earth.

denotation

meaning; distinguishing by name
A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently, it will always give us its connotation.

denouement

outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work
The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the
middle of the first act.

denounce

condemn; critcize
The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust.

depict

portray
In this book, the author depicts the slave owners as kind and benevolent masters.

deplete

reduce; exhaust
We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements.

deplicity

double-dealing; hypocrisy
People were shocked and dismayed when they learned of his duplicity in this affair, as he had always
seemed honest and straightforward.

deplore

regret
Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely.

deploy

move troops so that the battle line is extended at the expense of depth
The general ordered the battalion to deploy in order to meet the offensive of the enemy.

depose

dethrone; remove form office
The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military government.

deposition

testimony under oath
He made his deposition in the judge's chamber.

depravity

corruption; wickedness
The depravity of the tyrant's behavior shocked us all.

deprecate

express disapproval of; protest against; belittle
A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new
acquaintances by their first names.

depreciate

lessen in value
If you neglect this properly, it will depreciate.

depredation

plundering
After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless.

deranged

insane
He had to be institutionalized because he was deranged.

derelict

neglectful of duty; abandoned
The corporal who fell asleep while on watch was thrown into the guardhouse for being derelic in his duty.

deride

scoff at
The people derided his grandiose schemes.

derision

ridicule
They greeted his proposal with derision and refused to consider it seriously.

derivative

unoriginal; obtained from another source
Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and
eventually would find her own voice.

dermatologist

one who studies the skin and its diseases
I advise you to consult a dermatologist about your acne.

derogatory

expressing a low opinion
I resent your derogatory remarks.

descry

catch sight of
In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels.

desecrate

profane; violate the sanctity of
The soldiers desecrated the temple.

desiccate

dry up
A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to
preserve it.

desolate

rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake
The bandits desolated the countryside, burning farms and carrying off the harvest.

desperado

reckless outlaw
Butch Cassidy was a bold desperado with a price on his head.

despicable

contemptible
Your despicable remarks call for no reply.

despise

scorn
I despise your attempts at a reconciliation at this time and refuse to meet you.

despoil

plunder
If you do not yield, I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside.

despondent

depressed; gloomy To the dismay of his parents, he became more and more depondent every day.

despotism

tyranny
The people rebelled against the despotism of the king.

destitute

extremely poor
The costs of the father's illness left the family destitute.

desultory

aimless; haphazard; digressing at random
In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him reading was
purposeful, not desultory.

detached

emotionally removed; calm and objective; indifferent
A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with her patients' perssonal
lives.

determinate

having a fixed order of procedure; invariable
At the royal wedding, the procession of the nobles followed a determinate order of precedence.

deterrent

something that discourages; hindrance
Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers?

detonation

explosion
The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away.

detraction

slandering; aspersion
He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader.

detrimental

harmful; damaging
Your acceptance of her support will ultimately prove detrimental rather than helpful to your cause.

deviate

turn away from
Do not deviate from the truth; you must face the facts.

devious

going astray; erratic
Your devious behavior in this matter puzzles me since you are usually direct and straightforward.

devoid

lacking
He was devoid of any personal desire for gain in his endeavor to secure improvement in the community.

devolve

deputize; pass to others
It devolved upon us, the survivors, to arrange peace terms with the enemy.

devotee

enthusiastic follower
A devotee of the opera, he bought season tickets every year.

devout

pious
The devout man prayed daily.

dexterous

skillful
The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow his movements as he performed his tricks.

diabolical

devilish
This scheme is so diabolical that I must reject it.

diadem

crown
The king's diadem was on display at the museum.

dialectic

art of debate
I am not skilled in dialectic and therefore, cannot answer your arguments as forcefully as I wish.

diaphanous

sheer; transparent
They saw the burglar clearly through the diaphanous curtain.

diatribe

bitter scolding; invective
During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent he remained calm and self-controlled.

dichotomy

branching into two parts
The dichotomy of our legislative system provides us with many safeguards.

dictum

arthoritative and weighty statement
She repeated the statement as though it were the dictum of the most expert worker in the group.

didactic

teaching; instructional; preaching or moralizing
The didactic qualities of his poetry overshadow its literary qualities; the lesson he teaches is more
memorable than the lines.

die

device for stamping or impressing; mold
In coining pennies, workers at the old mint squeezed sheets of softened copper between two dies.

diffidence

shyness
You must overcome your diffidence if you intend to become a salesperson.

diffusion

wordiness; spreading in all directions like a gas
Your composition suffers from a diffusion of ideas; try to be more compact.

digression

wandering away from the subject
Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their offical theme; his digressions
were always more fascinating than the topic of the day.

dilapidated

ruined because of neglect
We felt that the dilapidated building needed several coats of paint.

dilate

expand
In the dark, the pupils of your eyes dilate.

dilatory

delaying
Your dilatory tactics may compel me to cancel the contract.

dilemma

problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives
In this dilemma, he knew no one to whom he could turn for advice.

dilettante

aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler
He was not serious in his painting; he was rather a dilettante.

diligence

steadiness of effort; persisten hard work
Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership in the firm.

dilute

make less concentrated; reduce in strength
She preferred her coffee diluted with milk.

diminution

lessening; reduction in size
The blockaders hoped to achieve victory as soon as the diminution of the enemy's supplies became serious.

dinghy

small boat (often ship's boat)
In the film Lifeboat, an ill-assorted group of passengers from a sunken ocean liner are marooned at sea in a
dinghy.

dingy

dull; not fresh; cheerless
Refusing to be depressed by her dingy studio apartment, Bea spent the weekend polishing the floors and
windows and hanging bright posters on the walls.

dint

means; effort
By dint of much hard work, the volunteers were able to control the raging forest fire.

din

continued loud noise
The din of the jackhammers outside the classroom window drowned out the lecturer's voice.

diorama

like-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history
Because they dramatically pose actual stuffed animals against realistic painted landscapes, the dioramas at
the Museum of Natural History particularly impress high school biology students.

dire

disastrous
People ignored her dire predictions of an approaching depression.

dirge

lament with music
The funeral dirge stirred us to tears.

disabuse

correct a false impression; undeceive
I will attempt to diabuse you of your impression of my client's guilt; I know he is innocent.

disaffected

disloyal
Once the most loyal of Gorbachev's supporters, Shverdnaze found himself becoming increasingly
disaffected.

disapprobation

disapproval; condemnation
The conservative father viewed his daughter's radical boyfriend with disapprobation.

disarray

a disorderly or untidy state
After the New Year's party, the once orderly house was in total disarray.

disavowal

denial; disclaiming
His disavowal of his part in the conspiracy was not believed by the jury.

disband

dissolve; disperse
The chess club disbanded after its disastrous initial season.

disburse

pay out
When you disburse money on the company's behalf, be sure to get a receipt.

discernible

distinguishable; perceivable
The ships in the harbor were not discernible in the fog.

discerning

mentally quick and observant; having insight
Because he was considered the most discerning member of the firm, he was assigned the most difficult
cases.

disclaim

disown; renounce claim to
If I grant you this previlege, will you disclaim all other rights?

disclose

reveal
Although competitors offered him bribes, he refused to disclose any information about his company's
forthcoming product.

discombobulated

confused; discomposed
The novice square dancer became so discombobulated that he wandered into wrong set.

discomfit

put to rout; defeat; disconcert
This ruse will discomfit the enemy.

disconcert

confuse; upset; embarrass
The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary.

disconcolate

sad
The death of his wife left him disconsolate.

discordant

inharmonious; conflicting
She tried to unite the discordant factions.

discount

disregard
Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.

discourse

formal disscussion; conversation
The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical discourse of Socrates and his followers.

discredit

defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve The campaign was highly negative in tone; each candidate tried to discredit the other.

discrepancy

lack of consistency; difference
The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him.

discrete

separate; unconnected
The universe is composed of discrete bodies.

discretion

prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances
Use your discretion in this matter and do not discuss it with anyone.

discrimination

ability to see differences; prejudice
They feared he lacked sufficient discrimination to judge complex works of modern art.

discursive

digressing; rambling
They were annoyed and bored by her discursive remarks.

disdain

treat with scorn or contempt
You make enemies of all you disdain.

disembark

go ashore; unload cargo from a ship
Before the passengers could disembark, they had to pick up their passports from the ship's purser.

disenfranchise

deprive of a civil right
The imposition if the poll tax effectively disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote.

disengage

uncouple; separate; disconnect
A standard movie routine involves the hero's desperate attempt to disengage a railroad car from a moving
train.

disfigure

mar the appearance of; spoil
An ugly frown disfigured his normally pleasant face.

disgorge

surrender something; efect; vomit
Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away.

disgruntle

make discontented
The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous delays.

dishearten

discourage
His failure to pass the bar exam disheartened him.

disheveled

untidy
Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.

disinclination

unwilingness
Some mornings I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed.

disingenuous

not naive; sophisticated Although he was young, his remarks indicated that he was disingenous.

disinterested

unprejudiced
The only disinterested person in the room was the judge.

disinter

dig up; unearth
They disinterred the body and held an autopsy.

disjointed

disconnected
His remarks were so disjointed that we could not follow his reasoning.

dislodge

remove (forcible)
Thrusting her fist up under the choking man's lower ribs, Margaret used the Heimlich maneuver to
dislodge the food caught in this throat.

dismantle

take apart
When the show closed, they dismantled the scenery before restoring it.

dismember

cut into small parts
When the Austrian Empire was dismembered, several new countries were established.

dismiss

eliminate from consideration; reject
Believing in John's love for her, she dismissed the notion that he might be unfaithful.

disparage

belittle
Do not disparage anyone's contribution; these little gifts add up to large sums.

disparate

basically different; unrelated
It is difficult, if not impossible, to organize these disparate elements into a coherent whole.

disparity

difference; condition of inequality
The disparity in their ages made no difference at all.

dispassionate

calm; impartial
In a dispassionate analysis of the problem, he carefully examined the causes of the conflict and proceeded
to suggest suitable remedies.

dispatch

speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed
Young Napoleon defeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to headquarters,
informing his commander of the great victory.

dispel

scatter; drive away; cause to vanish
The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.

disperse

scatter
The police fired tear gas into crowd to disperse the protesters.

dispirited

lacking in spirit
The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy up the enthusiasm of his team, which I had become dispirited at the loss of the star player.

disport

amuse
The popularity of Florida as a winter resort is constantly increasing; each year, thousands more disport
themselves at Miami and Palm Beach.

disputatious

argumentative; fond of argument
People avoided discussing contemporary problems with him because of his disputatious manner.

disquisition

a formal systematic inquiry; an explanation of the results of a formal inquiry
In his disquisition, he outlined the steps he had taken in reaching his conclusions.

dissection

analysis; cutting apart in order to examine
The dissection of frogs on the laboratory is particularly unpleasant to some students.

dissemble

disguise; pretend
Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew there not to dance
but to meet girls.

disseminate

scatter (like seeds)
The invention of the radio helped propagandists to disseminate their favorite doctrines very easily.

dissent

disagree
In a landmark Supreme Court decision, Justice Marshall dissented from the majority opinion.

dissertation

formal essay
In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities, a candidate is frequently required to
prepare a dissertation on some scholarly subject.

dissident

dissenting; rebellious
In the purge that followed the student demonstrations at Tianamen Square, the government hunted down
the dissident students and their supporters.

dissimulate

pretend; conceal by feigning
She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant attitude.

dissipate

squander
The young man quickly dissipated his inheritance and was soon broke.

dissolution

disintegration; looseness in morals
The profligacy and dissolution of life in Caligula's Rome appall some historians.

dissonance

discord
Some contemporary musicians deliberately use dissonance to achieve certain effects.

dissuade

advise against
He could not dissuade his friend from joining the conspirators.

distant

reserved or aloof; cold in manner His distant greeting made me feel unwelcome from the start.

distend

expand;swell out
I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his forehead.

distill

purify; refine; concentrate
A moonshiner distills mash into whiskey; an epigrammatist distills thoughts into quips.

distortion

twisting out of shape
It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of this event because of the distortions and exaggerations
of the reporters.

distrait

absentminded
Because of his concentration on the problem, the professor often appeared distrait and unconcerned about
routine.

distraught

upset; distracted by anxiety
The distraught parents frantically searched the ravine for their lost child.

diurnal

daily
A farmer cannot neglect his diurnal tasks at any time; cows, for example, must be milked regularly.

diva

operatic singer; prima donna
Although world famous as a diva, she did not indulge in fits of temerament.

divergent

differing; deviating
The two witnesses presented the jury with remarkably divergent accounts of the same epipode.

diverge

vary; go in different directionsfrom the same point
The spokes of the wheel diverge from the hub.

diverse

differing in some characteristics; various
There are diverse ways of approaching this problem.

diversion

act of turning aside; pastime
After studying for several hours, he needed a diversion from work.

diversity

variety; dissimilitude
The diversity of colleges in this country indicates that many levels of ability are being served.

divest

strip; deprive
He was divested of his power to act and could no longer govern.

divine

perceive intuitively; foresee the future
Nothing infuriated Tom more than Aunt Polly's ability to divine when he was not telling the truth.

divulge

reveal
I will not tell you this news because I am sure you will divulge it prematurely.

docile

obedient; easily managed
As docile as he seems today, that old lion was once a ferocious, snarling beast.

docket

program asfor trial; book where such entries are made
The case of Smith v. Jones was entered in the docket for July 15.

doctrinaire

unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding
Weng had hoped that the student-led democracy movement might bring about change in China, but the
repressive response of the doctrinaire hard-liners crushed his dreams of democracy.

document

provide written evidence
She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm.

doddering

shaky; infirm from old age
Although he is not as yet a doddering and senile old man, his ideas and opinions no longer can merit the
respect we gave them years ago.

doff

take off
A gentleman used to doff his hat to a lady.

dogged

determined;stubborn
Les Miserables tells of Inspector Javert's long, dogged pursuit of the criminal Jean Valjean.

doggerel

poorverse
Although we find occasional snatches of genuine poetry in her work, most of her writing is mere doggerel.

dogmatic

positive; arbitrary
Do not be so dogmatic about that statement; it can be easily refuted.

doldrums

blues; listlessness; slack period
Once the excitement of meeting her deadline was over, she found herself in the doldrums.

dolorous

sorrowfrl
He found the dolorous lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as
he could.

dolt

stupid person
I thought I was talking to a mature audience; instead, I find myself addressing a pack of dolts.

domicile

home
Althoughhis legal domicile was in New York City, his work kept him away from his residence for many
years.

domineer

rule over tyrannically
Students prefer teachers who guide, not ones who domineer.

don

put on
When Clark Kent had to don his Superman outfit, he changed clothes in a convenient phone booth.

dormant

sleeping; lethargic; torpid
Sometimes dormant talents in our friends surprise those of us who never realize how gifted our
acquaintances really are.

dormer

window projecting from roof
In remodeling the attic into a bedroom, we decided that we needed to put in dormers to provide sufficient
ventilation for the new room.

dorsal

relating to the back of an animal
A shark may be identified by its dorsal fin, which projects above the surface of the ocean.

dossier

file of documents on a subject
Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator, the FBI compiled a complete dossier.

dotage

senility
In his dotage, the old man bored us with long tales of events in his childhood.

dote

be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline
Not only grandmothers bore you with stories about their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the
littel rascals, too.

dour

sullen; stubborn
The man was dour abd taciturn.

douse

plunge into water; drench; extinguish
They doused each other with hoses and balloons.

dowdy

slovenly; untidy
She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a fashionable new wardrobe.

downcast

disheartened; sad
Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never downcast despite the difficulties she faced.

drab

dull; lacking color; cheerless
The Dutch woman's drab winter coat contrasted with the distinctive, colorful native costume she wore
beneath it.

dregs

sediment; worthless residue
David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the dregs.

droll

queer and amusing
He was a popular guest because his droll anecdotes were always entertaining.

drone

idle person; male bee
Content to let his wife support him, the would-be writer was in reality nothing but a drone.

drone

talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee
On a gorgeous day, who wants to be stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone?

dross

waste matter; worhtless impurities
Many methods have been devised to separate the valuable metal from the dross.

drudgery

menial work
Cinderella's fairy godmother rescued her from a life of drudgery.

dubious

doubtful
He has the dubious distinction of being the lowest man in his class.

ductility

malleability; flexibility; ability to be drawn out
Copper wire has many industrial uses because of its extreme ductility.

dulcet

sweet sounding
The dulcet sounds of the birds at dawn were soon drowned out by the roar of traffic passing our motel.

dupe

someone easily fooled
While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more
difficult to fool.

duress

forcible restraint, especially unlawfully
The hostages were held under duress until the prisoners' demands were met.

dutiful

respectful; obedient
The dutiful child grew up to be a conscientious adult aware of his civic obligations.

dwindle

shrink; reduce
They spent so much money that their funds dwindled to nothing.

dynamic

active; efficient
A dynamic government is necessary to meet the demands of a changing society.

dyspeptic

suffering from indigestion
All the talk about rich food made him feel dyspeptic.

earthy

unrefined; coarse
His earthy remarks often embarrassed the women in the audience.

ebb

recede; lessen
His fortunes began to ebb during the recession.

ebullient

showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm His ebullient nature could not be repressed.

eccentricity

oddity; idiosyncrasy
Some of his friends tried to account for his rudeness to strangers as the eccentricity of genius.

eccentric

odd; whimsical; irregular
The comet passed close by the earth in its eccentric orbit.

ecclesiastic

pertaining to the church
The minister donned his ecclesiastic garb and walked to the pulpit.

eclectic

selective; composed of elements drawn from disparate sources
His style of interior decoration was eclectic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods,
strikingly juxtaposed to create a unique color.

eclipse

darken; extinguish; surpass
The new stock market high eclipsed the previous record set in 1985.

ecologist

person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment
The ecologist was concerned that the new dam would upset the natural balance of the creatures living in
Glen Canyon.

economy

efficiency or conciseness in using something
Reading the epigrams of Pope, I admire the economy of his verse: in few words he conveys worlds of
meaning.

ecstasy

rapture, joy; any overpowering emotion
The announcement that the war had ended brought on an ecstasy that resulted in many uncontrolled
celebrations.

eddy

swirling current of water, air, etc.
The water in the tide pool was still, except for an occasional eddy.

edify

instruct; correct morally
Although his purpose was to edify and not to entertain his audience, many of his listeners were amused
and not enlightened.

eerie

weird
In that eerie setting, it was easy to believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings.

efface

rub out
The coin had been handled so many times that its data had been effaced.

effectual

efficient
If we are to succeed, we must seek effectual means of securing our goals.

effeminate

having womanly traits
His voice was high-pitched and effeminate.

effervescence

inner excitement; exuberance
Nothing depressed her for long; her natural effervescence soon reasserted itself.

effete

worn out; exhausted; barren
The literature of the age reflected the effete condition of the writers; no new ideas were forthcoming.

efficacy

power to produce desired effect
The efficacy of this drug depends on the regularity of the dosage.

effigy

dummy
The mob showed its irritation by hanging the judge in effigy.

effluvium

noxious smell
Air pollution has become a serious problem in our major cities; the effluvium and the poisons in the air are
hazards to life.

effrontery

shameless boldness
She had the effrontery to insult the guest.

effusion

pouring forth
The critics objected to her literary effusion because it was too flowery.

effusive

pouring forth; gushing
Her effusive manner of greeting her friends finally began to irritate them.

egoism

excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self rather than in
others
His egoism prevented him from seeing the needs of his colleagues.

egotism

conceit; vanity
She thought so much of herself that we found her egotism unwarranted and irritating.

egregious

notorious; conspicuously bad; shocking
She was an egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said.

egress

exit
Barnum's sign "To the Egress" fooled many people who thought they were going to see an animal and
instead found themselves in the street.

ejaculation

exclamation
He could not repress an ejaculation of surprise when he heard the news.

elaboration

addition of details; intricacy
Tell what happened simply, without any elaboration.

elated

overjoyed; in high spirits
Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie Blair was clearly elated by her Olympic victory.

elegy

poem or song expressing lamentation On the death of Edward King, Milton composed the elegy "Lycidas."

elicit

draw out by discussion
The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his loot.

elixir

cure-all; something invigorating
The news of her chance to go abroad acted on her like an elixir.

ellipsis

omission of words from a text
Sometimes an ellipsis can lead to a dangling modifier, as in the sentence "Once dressed, you should
refrigerate the potato salad.

elliptical

oval; ambiguous, either purposely or because key words have been left out
An elliptical billiad ball wobbles because it is not perfectly round; an elliptical remark baffles because it is
not perfectly clear.

eloquence

expressiveness; persuasive speech
The crowds were stirred by Martin Luther King's eloquence.

elucidate

explain; enlighten
He was called upon to elucidate the disputed points in his article.

elusive

evasive; baffling; hard to grasp
His elusive dreams of wealth were costly to those of his friends who supported him financially.

elysian

relating to paradise; blissful
An afternoon sail on the bay was for her an elysian journey.

emaciated

thin and wasted
His long period of starvation had left him emaciated.

emanate

issue forth
A strong odor of sulfur emanated from the spring.

emancipate

set free
At first, the attempts of the Abolitioninst to emancipate the slaves were unpopular in New England as well
as in the South.

embargo

ban on commerce or other activity
As a result of the embargo, trade with colonies was at a standstill.

embark

commence; go on board a boat; begin a journey
In devoting herself to the study of gorillas, Dian Fossey embarked on a course of action that was to cost
her her life.

embed

enclose; place in something
Tales of actual historical figures like King Alfred have become embedded in legends.

embellish

adorn My mother-in-law's stories about her journey from Russia made us laugh because she embellished the bare
facts of her travels with humourous acecdotes.

embezzlement

stealing
The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds.

embroil

throw into confusion
He became embroiled in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute.

embryonic

undeveloped; rudimentary
The evil of class and race hatred must be eliminated while it is still in an embryonic state; otherwise, it may
grow to dangerous proportions.

emendation

correction of errors; improvement
Please initial all the emendations you have made in this contract.

emend

correct, usually a text
The critic emended the book by retranslating several passages.

emetic

substance causing vomiting
The use of an emetic like mustard is useful in cases of poisoning.

eminent

high; lofty
After his appointment to this emiment position, he seldom had time for his former friends.

emissary

agent; messenger
The secretary of State was sent as the President's special emissary to the conference on disarmament.

emollient

soothing or softening remedy
He applied an emollient to the inflamed area.

emolument

salary; compensation
In addition to the emolument this position offers, you must consider the social prestige it carries with it.

empathy

ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc
What made Ann such a fine counselor was her empathy, her ability to put herself in her client's place and
feel his emotions as if they were her own.

empirical

based on experience
He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance entirely on empirical data.

emulate

rival; imitate
As long as our political leaders emulate the virtues of the great leaders of this country, we shall flourish.

enamored

in love
Narcissus became enamored of his own beauty.

enclave

territory enclosed within an alien land
The Vatican is an independent enclave in Italy.

encomiastic

praising; eulogistic
Some critics believe that his encomiastic statements about Napoleon were inspired by his desire for
material advancement rather than by an honest belief in the Emperor's genius.

encomium

high praise; eulogy
Uneasy with the encomiums expressed by his supporters, Tolkien felt unworthy of such high praise.

encompass

surround
Although we were encompassed by enemy forces, we were cheerful for we were well stocked and could
withstand a siege until our allies joined us.

encroachment

gradual intrusion
The encroachment of the factories upon the neighborhood lowered the value of the real estate.

encumber

burden
Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage, when they take short trips.

endearment

fond word or act
Your gifts and endearments cannot make me forget your earlier insolence.

endemic

prevailinig among a specific group of people or in a specific are or country
This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the population are at one time or
another affected by it.

endorse

approve; support
Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for the city council the mayor would endorse.

endue

provide with some quality; endow
He was endued with a lion's courage.

enduring

lasting; surviving
Keats believed in the enduring power of great art, which outlast its creator's brief lives.

energize

invigorate; make forceful and active
Rather than exhausting Maggie, dancing energized her.

enervate

weaken
She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to the window evervated her.

enfranchise

admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote)
Although blacks were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War, women did not receive the right to vote
until 1920.

engage

attract; hire; pledge oneself; confront
"Your case has engaged my interest, my lord," said Holmes, "You many engage my services."

engender

cause; produce
To receive praise for real accomplishments engenders self-confidence in a child.

engross

occupy fully
John was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call.

enhance

advance; improve
Your chances for promotion in this department will be enhanced if you take some more courses in evening
school.

enigmatic

obscure; puzzling
Many have sought to fathom the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa.

enigma

puzzle
Depite all attempts to decipher the code, it remained an enigma.

enjoin

command; order; forbid
The owners of the company asked the court to enjoin the union from picketing the plant.

enmity

ill will; hatred
At Camp David President Carter labored to bring an end to the enmity that prevented Egypt and Israel
from living in peace.

ennui

boredom
The monotonous routine of hopital life induced a feeling of ennui which made him moody and irritable.

enormity

hugeness (in a bad sense)
He did not realize the enormity of his crime until he saw what suffering he had caused.

enrapture

please intensely
The audience was enraptured by the freshness of the voices and the excellent orchestration.

ensconce

settle comfortably
The parents thought that their children were ensconced safely in the private school and decided to leave
for Europe.

ensue

follow
The evils that ensued were the direct result of the miscalculations of the leaders.

enthrall

capture; enslave
From the moment he saw her picture, he was enthralled by her beauty.

entice

lure; attract; tempt
She always tried to entice her baby brother into mischief.

entity

real being
As soon as the charter was adopted, the United Nations became an entity and had to be considered as a
factor in world diplomacy.

entomology

study of insects
I found entomology the least interesting part of my course in biology; studying insects bored me.

entrance

put under a spell; carry away with emotion
Shafts of sunlight on a wall could entrance her and leave her spellbound.

entreat

plead; ask earnestly
She entreated her father to let her stay out till midnight.

entree

entrance; a way in
Because of his wealth and social position, he had entree into the most exclusive circles.

entrepreneur

businessperson; contractor
Opponents of our present tax program argue that it discourages entrepreneurs from trying new fields of
business activity.

enumerate

list; mention one by one
Huck hung his head in shame as Miss Watson enumerated his many flaws.

enunciate

speak distinctly
How will people understand you if you do not enunciate?

environ

enclose; surround
Paris was environed by a wall

eon

long period of time; an age
It has taken eons for our civilization to develop.

epaulet

ornament worn on the shoulder (of a uniform, etc.)
The shoulder loops on Sam Spade's trench coat are the nonmilitary counterparts of the fringed epaulets on
George Washington's uniform.

ephemeral

short-lived; fleeting
The mayfly is an ephemeral creature.

epicure

connoisseur of food and drink
epicures frequent this restaurant because it features exotic wines and dishes.

epic

long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art
Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai is an epic portraying the struggle of seven warriors to destroy a band of
robbers.

epigram

witty thought or saying, usually short
Poor Richard's epigrams made Benjamin Franklin famous.

epilogue

short speech at conclusion of dramatic work
The audience was so disappointed in the play that many did not remain to hear the epilogue.

episodic

loosely connected
Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity's Rainbow, John found the novel too episodic.

epistemologist

philosopher who studies the nature of knowledge
"What is more important, a knowledge of nature of the nature of knowledge?" the epistemologist asked the
naturalist.

epitaph

inscription in memory of a dead person
In his will, he dictated the epitaph he wanted placed on his tombstone.

epithet

word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing
So many kings of France were named Charles that modern students need epithets to tell them apart:
Charles the Wise, for example, was someone far different from Charles the Fat.

epitome

perfect example or embodiment
Singing "I am the very model of a modern Major-General" in The Pirates of Penzance, Major-General
Stanley proclaimed himself the epitome of an officer and a gentleman.

epoch

period of time
The glacial epoch lasted for thousands of years.

equable

tranquil; steady; uniform
After the hot summers and cold winters of New England, he found the climate of the West Indies equable
and pleasant.

equanimity

calmness of temperament
In his later years, he could look upon the foolishness of the world with equanimity and humor.

equestrian

rider on horseback
These paths in the park are reserved for equestrians and their steeds.

equilibrium

balance
After the divorce, he needed some time to regain his equilibrium.

equine

resembling a horse
His long, bony face had an equine look to it.

equinox

period of equal days and nights; the beginning of spring and autumn
The vernal equinox is usually marked by heavy rainstorms.

equipoise

balance; balancing force; equilibrium
The high-wire acrobat used his pole as an equipose to overcome the swaying caused by the wind.

equitable

fair; impartial
I am seeking an equitable solution to this dispute, one which will be fair and acceptable to both sides.

equity

fairness; justice
Our courts guarantee equity to all.

equivocal

doubtful; ambiguous
Macbeth was misled by the equivocal statements of the witches.

equivocate

lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth
The audience saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his
remarks.

erode

eat away
The limestone was eroded by the dripping water

erotic

pertaining to passionate love
The erotic passages in this novel should be removed as they are merely pornographic.

errant

wandering
Many a charming tale has been written about the knights-errant who helped the weak and punished the
guilty during the Age of Chivalry.

erratic

odd; unpredictable
Investors become anxious when the stock market appears erratic.

erroneous

mistaken; wrong
I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous.

erudite

learned; scholarly
His erudite writing was difficult to read because of the many allusions which were unfamiliar to most
readers.

escapade

prank; flighty conduct
The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man.

eschew

avoid
He tried to eschew all display of temper.

esoteric

hard to understand; known only to the chosen few
New Yorker short stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events: the implication is if
you are in the in-crowd, you'll get the reference; if you come from Cleveland, you won't.

espionage

spying
In order to maintain its power, the government developed a system of espionage that penetrated every
hosehold.

espouse

adopt; support
She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause.

esteem

repect; value; judge
I esteem Ezra Pound both for his exciting poetry and for his acute comments on literature.

estranged

separated; alienated
The estranged wife sought a divorce.

ethereal

light; heavenly; fine
Visitors were impressed by her ethereal beauty, her delicate charm.

ethnic

relating to races
Intolerance between ethnic groups is deplorable and usually is based on lack of information.

ethnology

study of mankind
Sociology is one aspect of the science of ethnology.

ethos

underlying character of a culture, group, etc.
Seeing how tenderly Spaniards treated her small daughter made author Barbara Kingsolver aware of how
greatly children were valued in the Spanish ethos.

etymology

study of word parts
A knowledge of etymology can help you on many English tests.

eugenic

pertaining to the improvement of race
It is easier to apply eugenic principles to the raising of racehorses or prize cattle than t the development of
human beings.

eulogistic

praising
To everyone's surprise, the speech was eulogistic rather than critical in tone.

eulogy

praise
All the eulogies of his friends could not remove the sting of the calumny heaped upon him by his enemies.

euphemism

mild expression in place of an unpleasant one
The expression "he passed away" is a euphemism for "he died."

euphony

sweet sound
Noted for its euphony even when it is spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when
sung.

euphoria

feeling of exaggerated (or unfounded) well-being
"Jill's been on cloud nine ever since Jacj asked her out," said Betty, dismissing her friend's euphoria.

euthanasia

mercy killing
Many people support euthanasia for terminally ill patients who wish to die.

evanescent

fleeting; vanishing
For a brief moment, the entire skyline was bathed in an orange-red hue in the evanescent rays of the
sunset.

evasive

not frank; eluding
Your evasive answers convinced the judge that you were witholding important evidence.

evenhanded

impartial; fair
Do men and women receive evenhanded treatment from their teachers, or, as recent studies suggest, do teachers pay more attention to male students than to females?

evince

show clearly
When he tried to answer the questions, he evinced his ignorance of the subject matter.

evoke

call forth
He evoked much criticism by his hostile manner.

ewe

female sheep
The flock of sheep was made up of dozens of ewes, together with only a handful of rams.

exacerbate

worsen; embitter
This latest arrest will exacerbate the already existing discontent of the people and enrage them.

exacting

extremely demanding
The colonies rebelled against the exacting financial claims of the mother country.

exalt

raise in rank or dignity; praise
The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of knighthood by the Queen; he now is known as Sir Alec
Guinness.

exasperate

vex
Johnny often exasperates his mother with his pranks.

excerpt

selected passage (written or musical)
The cinematic equivalent of an excerpt from a novel is a clip from a film.

exchequer

treasury
He had been Chancellor of the exchequer before his promotion to the office he now holds.

excise

cut away; cut out
When you excise the dead and dying limbs of a tree, you not only improve its appearance but also enhance
its chances of bearing fruit.

excoriate

flay; abrade
These shoes are so ill-fitting that they will excoriate the feet and create blisters.

exculpate

clear from blame
He was exculpated of the crime when the real criminal confessed.

execrable

very bad
The anecdote was in execrable taste and shocked the audience.

execrate

curse; express abhorrence for
The world execrates the memory of Hitler and hopes that genocide will never again be the policy of any
nation.

execute

put into effect; carry out
The choreographer wanted to see how well she could execute a pirouette.

exegesis

explanation, especially of biblical passages
I can follow your exegesis of this passage to a limited degree; some of your reasoning eludes me.

exemplary

serving as a model; outstanding
Her exemplary behavior was praised at commencement.

exemplify

show by example; furnish an example
Three-time winner of the Super Bowl, Joe Montana exemplifies the ideal quarterback.

exertion

effort; expenditure of much physical work
The exertion involved in unscrewing the rusty bolt left her exhausted.

exhort

urge
The evangelist will exhort all sinners in his audience to reform.

exhume

dig out of the ground; remove from a grave
Because of the rumor that he had been poisoned, his body was exhumed in order that an autopsy might be
performed.

exigency

urgent situation
In this exigency, we must look for aid from our allies.

exiguous

small; minute
Grass grew there, an exiguous outcropping among the rocks.

existential

pertaining to existence; pertaining to the philosophy of existentialism
To the existential philosopher, human reason is inadequate to explain an irrational, meaningless universe.

exodus

departure
The exodus from the hot and stuffy city was particularly noticeable on Friday evenings.

exonerate

acquit; exculpate
I am sure this letter naming the actual culprit will exonerate you.

exorbitant

excessive
The people grumbled at his exorbitant prices but paid them because he had a monopoly.

exorcise

drive our evil spirits
By incantation and prayer, the medicine man sought to exorcise the evil spirits that had taken possession of
the young warrior.

exotic

not native; strange
Because of his exotic headdress, he was followed in the streets by small children who laughed at his strange
appearance.

expatiate

talk at length
At this time, please give us a brief resume of your work; we shall permit you to expatiate later.

expatriate

exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land
Henry James was an American expatriate who settled in England.

expedient

suitable; practical; politic
A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical.

expedite

hasten
We hope you will be able to expedite delivery because of our tight schedule.

expertise

specialized knowledge; expert skill
Although she was knowledgeable in a number of fields, she was hired for her particular expertise in
computer programming.

expiate

make amends for (a sin)
He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.

expletive

interjection; profane oath
The sergeant's remarks were filled with expletives that offended the new recruits.

explicate

explain; interpret; clarify
Harry Levin explicated James Joyce's novels with such clarity that even Finnegan's Wake seemed
comprehensible to his students.

explicit

totally clear; definite; outspoken
Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied: be explicit about what's bugging you.

exploit

deed or action, particularly a brave deed
Raoul Wallenberg was noted for his exploits in rescuing Jews from Hitler's forces.

exploit

make use of, sometimes unjustly
Caesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit migrant farmworkers in California.

expository

explanatory; serving to explain
The mannual that came with my VCR was no masterpiece of expository prose: its explanations were so
garbled that I couldn't even figure out how to rewind a tape.

expostulation

protest; remonstrance
Despite the teacher's scoldings and expostulations, the class remained unruly.

exposure

risk, particularly of being exposed to disease or to the elements; unmasking; act of laying
something open
Exposure to sun and wind had dried out her hair and weathered her face.

expunge

cancel; remove
If you behave, I will expunge this notation from your record.

expurgate

clean; remove offensive parts of a book
The editors felt that certain passages in the book had to be expurgated before it could be used in the
classroom.

extant

still in existence
Although the authorities suppressed the book, many copies are extant and may be purchased at exorbitant prices.

extemporaneous

not planned; impromtu
Because his extemporaneous remarks were misinterpreted, he decided to write all his speeches in advance.

extenuate

weaken; mitigate
It is easier for us to extenuate our own shortcomings than those of others.

extirpate

root up
The Salem witch trials were a misguided attempt to extirpate superstition and heresy.

extol

praise; glorify
The astronauts were extolled as the pioneers of the Space Age.

extort

wring from; get money by threats, etc.
The blackmailer extorted money from his victim.

extradition

surrender of prisoner by one state to another
The lawyers opposed the extradition of their client on the grounds that for more than five years he had
been a model citizen.

extraneous

not essential; external
Do not pad your paper with extraneous matters; stick to essential items only.

extrapolation

projection; conjecture
Based on their extrapolation from the results of the primaries on Super Tuesday, the networks predicted
that George Bush would be the Republican candidate for the presidency.

extricate

free; disentangle
He found that he could not extricate himself from the trap.

extrinsic

external; not inherent; foreign
Do not be fooled by extrinsic causes. We must look for the intrinsic reason.

extrovert

person interested mostly in external objects and actions
A good salesperson in usually an extrovert, who likes to mingle with people.

extrude

force or push out
Much pressure is required to extrude these plastics.

exuberant

abundant; effusive; lavish
His speeches were famous for his exuberant language and vivid imagery.

exude

discharge; give forth
The maple syrup is obtained from the sap that the trees exude in early spring.

exult

rejoice
We exulted when our team won the victory.

fabricate

build; lie
Because of the child's tendency to fabricate, we had trouble believing her.

facade

front of the building
The facade of the church had often been photographed by tourists because it was more interesting than
the rear.

facetious

humorous; jocular
Your facetious remarks are not appropriate at this serious moment.

facet

small plane surface (of a gem); a side
The stonecutter decided to improve the rough diamond by providing it with several facets.

facile

easy; expert
Because he was a facile speaker, he never refused a request to address an organization.

facilitate

make less difficult
He tried to facilitate repayment of the loan by getting a part-time job.

facsimilie

copy
Many museums sell facsimilies of the works of art on display.

faction

party; clique; dissension
The quarrels and bickering of the two small factions within the club disturbed the majority of the
members.

factious

inclined to form factions; causing dissension.
Your statement is factious and will upset the harmony that now exists.

factitous

artificial; sham
Hollywood actresses often create factitious tears by using glycerine.

factotum

handyman; person who does all kinds of work
Although we had hired him as a messenger, we soon began to use him as a general factotum around the
office.

faculty

mental or bodily powers; teaching staff
As he grew old, he feared he might lose his faculties and become useless to his employer.

fallacious

misleading
Your reasoning must be fallacious because it leads to a ridiculous answer.

fallible

liable to err
I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time.

fallow

plowed but sowed; uncultivated Farmers have learned that it is advisable to permit land to le fallow every few years.

falter

hesitate
When told to dive off the high board, she did not falter, but proceeded at once.

fanaticism

excessive zeal
The leader of the group was held responsible even though he could not control the fanaticism of his
followers.

fancied

imagined; unreal
You are resenting fancied insults. No one has ever said such things about you.

fancier

breeder or dealer of animals
The dog fancier exhibited her prize collie at the annual Kennel Club show.

fanciful

whimsical; visionary
This is a fanciful scheme because it does not consider the facts.

fanfare

call by bugles or trumpets; showy display
The exposition was opened with fanfare of trumpets and the firing of cannon.

fantastic

unreal; grotesque; whimsical
Your fears are fantastic because no such animal as you have described exists.

farce

broad comedy; mockery
Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce.

fastidious

difficult to please; squeamish
The waitresses disliked serving him dinner because of his very fastidious taste.

fatalism

belief that events are determined by forces beyond one's control
With fatalism, he accepted the hardships that beset him.

fathom

comprehend; investigate
I find his motives impossible to fathom.

fatuous

foolish; inane
He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks.

fauna

animals of a period or region
The scientist could visualize the fauna of the period by examining the skeletal remains and the fossils.

fawning

courting favor by cringing and flattering
She was constantly surrounded by a group of fawning admirers who had hoped to win some favor.

faze

disconcert; dismay
No crisis could faze the resourceful hotel manager.

feasible

practical This is an entirely feasible proposal. I suggest we adopt it.

febrile

feverish
In his febrile condition, he was subject to nightmares and hallucinations.

feckless

feeble, ineffective; unthinking, irresponsible
Einstein was noted for his extraordinary inspirations; on the other hand, he was noted for being feckless in
his daily chores.

fecundity

fertility; fruitfulness
The fecundity of his mind is illustrated by the many vivid images in his poems.

feign

pretend
Lady Macbeth feigned illness in the courtyard although she was actually healthy.

feint

trick; shift; sham blow
The boxer was fooled by his opponent's feint and dropped his guard.

felicitous

apt; suitably expressed; well chosen
He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at many
banquet.

felicity

happines; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.)
She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life.

fell

cruel; deadly
The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease

felon

person convicted of a grave crime
A convicted felon loses the right to vote

ferment

agitation; commotion
With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ferment.

ferret

drive or hunt out of hiding
She was ferreted out their secret.

fervent

ardent; hot
She felt that the fervent praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved.

fervid

ardent
Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission.

fervor

glowing ardor
Their kiss was full of the fervor of first love.

fester

generate pus
When her finger began to fester, the doctor lanced it and removed the splinter that had caused the pus to
form.

fester

rankle, produce irritation or resentment
Joe's insult festered in Anne's mind for days, and made her too angry to speak to him.

festive

joyous; celebratory
Their wedding in the park was a festive occasion.

fete

honor at a festival
The returning hero was feted at a community supper and dance.

fetid

malodorous
The neglected wound became fetid.

fetter

shackle
The prisoner was fettered to the wall.

fiasco

total failure
Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced to flee.

fiat

command
I cannot accept government by fiat; I feel that I must be consulted.

fickle

changeable; faithless
He discovered his supposedly faithful girlfriend was fickle

fictitious

imaginary
Although this book purports to be a biography of George Washington, many of the incidents are fictitious.

fidelity

loyalty
A dog's fidelity to its owner is one of the reasons why that animal is a favorite household pet.

figment

invention; imaginary thing
That incident never took place; it is a figment of your imagination.

figurative

not literal, but metaphorical; using a figure of speech
"To lose one's marbles" is a figurative expression; if you're told Jack has lost his marbles, no one expects
you to rush out to buy him a replacement set.

figurine

small ornamental statuette
In the Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade was hired to trace the missing figurine of a black bird.

filch

steal
The boys filched apples from the fruit stand.

filial

pertaining to a son or daughter
Many children forget their filial obligations and disregard the wishes of their parents.

filibuster

block legislation by making long speeches
Even though we disapproved of Senator Foghorn's political goals, we were impressed by his ability to
filibuster endlessly to keep an issue from coming to a vote.

filigree

delicate, lacelike metalwork
The pendant with gold filigree that she wore round her neck trembled with each breath she took.

finale

conclusion
It is not until we reach the finale of this play that we can understand the author's message.

finesse

delicate skill
The finesse and adroitness of the surgeon impressed the observers in the operating room.

finicky

too particular; fussy
The old lady was finicky about her food and ate very little.

finite

limited
It is difficult for humanity with its finite existence to grasp the infinite.

firebrand

hothead; troublemaker
The police triedto keep track of all the local firebrands when the President came to town.

fissure

crevice
The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock.

fitful

spasmodic; intermittent
After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic.

flaccid

flabby
His sedentary life had left him with flaccid muscles.

flagrant

conspicuously wicked
We cannot condone such flagrant violations of the rules.

flag

droop; grow feeble
When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes into the first period, the home team's
spirits flagged.

flail

thresh grain by hand; strike or slap; toss about
In medieval times, warriors flailed their foe with a metal ball attached to a handle.

flair

talent
She has an uncanny flair for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence.

flamboyant

ornate
Modern architecture has discarded the flamboyant trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line.

flaunt

display ostentatiously
She is not the one of those actresses who flaunt their physical charms; she can act.

flay

strip off skin; plunder
The criminal was condemned to be flayed alive.

fleck

spot
Her cheeks flecked with tears, were testimony to the hours of weeping.

fledgling

inexperienced
While it is necessary to provide these fledgling poets with an opportunity to present their work, it is not
essential that we admire everything they write.

fleece

rob; plunder
The tricksters fleeced him of his inheritance.

fleece

wool coat of a sheep
They shear sheep of their fleece, which they then comb into separate strands of wool.

flick

light stroke as with a whip
The horse needed no encouragement; only one flick of the whip was all the jockey had to apply to get the
animal to run at top speed.

flinch

hesitate; shrink
He did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely.

flippancy

trifling gaiety
Your flippancy at this serious moment is offensive.

flit

fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by
Like a bee flitting from flower to flower, Rose flitted from one boyfriend to the next.

floe

mass of floating ice
The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through the ice floes.

flora

plants of a region or era
Because she was a botanist, she spent most of her time studying the flora of the desert.

florid

flowery; ruddy
His complexion was even more florid than usual because of his anger.

flotsam

drifting wreckage
Beachcombers eke out a living by salvaging the flotsam and jetsam of the sea.

flourish

grow well; prosper; make sweeping gestures
The orange trees flourished in the sun.

flout

reject; mock
The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed.

fluctuation

wavering
Meteorologists watch the fluctuations of the barometer in order to predict the weather.

fluency

smoothness of speech
He spoke French with fluency and ease.

fluke

unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune When Douglass defeated Tyson for the heavyweight championship, some sportscasters dismissed his
victory as a fluke.

fluster

confuse
The teacher's sudden question flustered him and he stammered his reply.

fluted

having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar)
All that remained of the ancient building were the fluted columns.

flux

flowing; series of changes
While conditions are in such a state of flux, I do not wish to commit myself too deeply in this affair.

fodder

coarse food for cattle, horses etc.
One of Nancy's chores ar the ranch was to put fresh supplies of fodder in the horses' stalls.

foible

weakness; slight fault
We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect.

foil

contrast
In "Star Wars," dark, evil Darth Vader is a perfect foil for fair-haired, naive Luke Skywalker.

foil

defeat; frustrate
In the end, Skywalker is able to foil Vader's diabolical schemes.

foist

insert improperly; palm off
I will not permit you to foist such ridiculous ideas upon the membership of this group.

foliage

masses of leaves
Every autumn before the leaves fell he promised himself he would drive though the New England to
admire the colorful fall foliage.

foment

stir up; instigate
This report will foment disssension in the club.

foolhardy

rash
Don't be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking this venture.

foppish

vain about dress and appearance
He tried to imitate the foppish manner of the young men of the court.

foray

raid
The company staged a midnight foray against the enemy outpost.

forberance

patience
We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his illness.

ford

place where a river can be crossed on foot
Rather than risk using the shaky rope bridge, David walked a half-mile downstream until he came to the
neartest ford.

forebears

ancestors
Reverence for one's forebears (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship) plays an important part in many
Oriental cultures.

foreboding

premonition of evil
Caeser ridiculed his wife's foreboding about the Ides of March.

forensic

suitable to debate or courts of law
In her best forensic manner, the lawyer addressed the jury.

foreshadow

give an indication beforehand; portend; prefigure
In retrospect, political analysts realized that Yeltsin's defiance of the attempted coup foreshadowed his
emergence as the dominant figure of the new Russian republic.

foresight

ability to foresee future happenings; prudence
A wise investor, she had the foresight to buy land just before the current real estate boom.

forestall

prevent by taking action in advance
By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential
arguments about money in the event of a divorce.

forgo

give up; do without
Determined to lose weight for the summer, Ida decided to forgo dessert until she could fit into a size eight
again.

formality

adherence to established rules or procedures
Signing this petition is a mere formality; it does not obligate you in any way.

formidable

menacing; threatening
We must not treat the battle lightly for we are facing a formidable foe.

forsake

desert; abandon; renounce
No one expected Foster to forsake his wife and children and run off with another woman.

forswear

renounce; abandon
The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to forswear Christianity and embrace Islam as the
one true faith.

forte

strong point or special talent
I am not eager to play this rather seious role, for my forte is comedy.

forthright

straightforward; direct; frank
I prefer Jill's forthright approach to Jack's tendency to beat around the bush.

fortitude

bravery; courage
He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the battle.

fortuitous

accidental; by chance There is no connection between these two events; their timing is entirely fortuitous.

foster

rear; encourage
According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a she-wolf that raised the abandoned
infants as her own.

founder

fail completely; sink
After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started taking in water rapidly and soon foundered.

founder

person who establishes (an organization, business)
Among those drowned when the Titanic sank was the founder of the Abraham & Straus chain.

fracas

brawl; melee
The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the belligerents.

fractious

unruly
The fractious horse unseated its rider.

frailty

weakness
The doctor prescribed vitamin and mineral supplements for the sick old woman because of her frailty.

franchise

right granted by authority
The city issued a franchise to the company to operate surface transit lines on the streets for ninety-nine
years.

frantic

wild
At the time of the collision, many people became frantic with fear.

fraudulent

cheating; deceitful
The government seeks to prevent fraudulent and misleading advertising.

fraught

filled
Since this enterprise is fraught with danger, I will ask for volunteers who are willing to assume the risks.

fray

brawl
The three musketeers were in the thick of fray.

frenetic

frenzied; frantic
His frenetic activities convinced us that he had no organized plan of operation.

frenzied

madly excited
As soon as they smelled smoke, the frenzied animals milled about in their cages.

fresco

painting in plaste (usually fresh)
The cathedral is visited by many tourists who wish to admire the frescoes by Glotto.

fret

to be annonyed or vexed
To fret over your poor grades is foolish; instead, decide to work harder in the future.

friction

clash in opinion; rubbing against
At this time when harmony is essential, we cannot afford to have any friction in our group.

frieze

ornamental band on a wall
The frieze of the church was adorned with sculpture.

frigid

intensely cold
Alaska is in the frigid zone.

fritter

waste
He could not apply himself to any task and frittered away his time in idle conversation.

frivolous

lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant
Though Nancy enjoyed Bill's frivolous, lighthearted companionship, she sometimes wondered whether he
could ever be serious.

frolicsome

prankish; gay
The frolicsome puppy tried to lick the face of its master.

frond

fern leaf; palm or banana leaf
After the storm the beach was littered with the fronds of palm trees.

fructify

bear fruit
This peach tree should fructify in three years.

frugality

thrift; economy
In these economically difficult days businesses must practice frugality or risk bankruptcy.

fruition

bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization
This building marks the fruition of all our aspirations and years of hard work.

fugitive

fleeting or transitory; roving
The film brought a few fugitive images to her mind, but on the whole it made no lasting impression upon
her.

fulcrum

support on which a lever rests
If we use this stone as a fulcrum and the crowbar as a lever, we may be able to move this boulder.

fulminate

thunder; explode
The people against whom she fulminated were innocent of any wrongdoing.

fulsome

disgustingly excessive
His fulsome praise of the dictator annoyed his listeners.

functionary

official
As his case was transferred from one functionary to another, he began to despair of ever reaching a
settlement.

fundamental

basic; primary; essential The committee discussed all sorts of side issues without ever getting down to addressing the fundamental
problem.

funereal

sad; solemn
I fail to understand why there is such a funereal atmosphere; we have lost a battle, not a war.

furor

frenzy; great excitement
The story of her embezzlement of the funds created a furor on the stock exchange.

furtive

stealthy; sneaky
The boy gave a furtive look at his classmate's test paper.

fusilade

simultaneous firing or outburs (of missiles, questions, etc.)
Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture concludes with a thunderous fusilade of cannon fire.

fusion

union; coalition
The opponents of the political party in power organized a fusion of disgruntled groups and became an
important element in the election.

futile

ineffective; fruitless
Why waste your time on futile pursuits?

gadfly

animal-biting fly; an irritating person
Like a gadfly, he irritated all the guests at the hotel; within forty eight hours, everyone regarded him as an
annoying busybody.

gaffe

social blunder
According to Miss Manners, to call your husband by your lover's name is worse than a mere gaffe; it is a
tactical mistake.

gainsay

deny
She was too honest to gainsay the truth of the report.

gait

manner of walking or running; speed
The lame man walked with an uneven gait.

galaxy

the Milky Way; any collection of brilliant personalities
The deaths of such famous actors as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, and Marlene Dietrich
demonstrate that the galaxy of Hollywood superstars is rapidly disppearing.

galleon

large sailing ship
The Spaniards pinned their hopes on the galleon, the large warship; the British, on the smaller and faster
pinnace.

gall

annoy; chafe
Their taunts galled him.

gall

bitterness; nerve
The knowledge of his failure filled him with gall.

galvanize

stimulate by shock; stir up
The entire nation was galvanized into strong military activity by the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

gambit

opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed
The player was afraid to accept his opponent's gambit because he feared a trap which as yet he could not
see.

gambol

skip; leap playfully
Watching children gamboling in the park is a pleasant experience

gamely

in a spirited manner; with courage
Because he had fought gamely against a much superior boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when
he left the arena.

gamut

entire range
In this performance, the leading lady was able to demonstrate the complete gamut of her acting ability.

gape

open widely
The huge pit gaped before him; if he stumbled, he would fall in.

garbled

mixed up; jumbled; distorted
A favorite party game involves passing a whispered message from one person to another; by the time it
reaches the last player, the message has become totally garbled.

gargantuan

huge; enormous
The gargantuan wrestler was terrified of mice.

gargolye

waterspout carved in groteque figures on a building
The gargoyles adorning the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris are amusing in their grotesqueness.

garish

gaudy
She wore a garish rhinestone necklace.

garner

gather; store up
She hoped to garner the world's literature in one library.

garnish

decorate
Parsley was used to garnish the boiled potato.

garrulity

talkativeness
The man who married a dumb wife asked the doctor to make him deaf because of his wife's garrulity after her cure.

garrulous

excessively talkative, especially about unimportant subjects; loquacious; wordy
Many club members avoided the company of the garrulous junior executive because his contant chatter
bored them to tears.

gastronomy

science of preparing and serving good food
One of the by-products of his trip to Europe was his interest in gastronomy; he enjoyed preparing and
serving foreign dishes to his friends.

gauche

clumsy; boorish
Such remarks are gauche and out of place; you should apologize for making them.

gaudy

flashy; showy
Her gaudy taste in clothes apalled us.

gaunt

lean and angular; barren
His once-round face looked surprisingly gaunt after he had lost weight.

gawk

stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe
The country boy gawked at the skyscrapers and neon lights of the big city.

gazette

official publication
He read the gazettes regularly for announcement of his promotion.

genealogy

record of descent; lineage
He was proud of his genealogy and constantly referred to the achievements of his ancestors.

generality

vague statement
This report is filled with generalities; you must be more specific in you statements.

generic

characteristic of an entire class or species
Sue knew so many computer programmers who spent their spare time playing fantasy games that she
began to think that playing Dungeon & Dragons was a generic trait.

genesis

beginning; origin
Tracing the genesis of a family is the theme of "Roots."

geniality

cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy
This restaurant is famous and popular because of the geniality of the proprietor, who tries to make
everyone happy.

genre

particular variety of art or literature
Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genre.

genteel

well-bred; elegant
We are looking for a man with a genteel apperance who can inspire confidence by his cultivated manner.

gentility

those of gentle birth; refinement Her family was proud of its gentility and elegance.

gentry

people of standing; class of people just below nobility
The local gentry did not welcome the visits of the summer tourists and tried to ignore their presence in the
community.

genuflect

bend the knee as in worship
A proud denocrat, he refused to genuflect to any man.

germane

pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand
The lawyer objected that the testimony being offered was not germane to the case at hand.

germinal

pertaining to a germ; creative
Such an idea is germinal; I am certain that it will influence thinkers and philosophers for many generations.

germinate

cause to sprout; sprout
After the seeds germinate and develop their permanent leaves, the plants may be removed from the cold
frames and transplanted to the garden.

gerontocracy

government ruled by old people
Gulliver visited a gerontocracy in which the young people acted as servants to their elders, all the while
dreaming of the day they would be old enough to have servants of their own.

gerrymander

change in voting district lines in order to favor a political party
The illogical pattern of the map of this congressional district is proof that the state legislature
gerrymandered this area in order to favor the majority party.

gestate

evolve, as in prenatal growth
While this scheme was being gestated by the conspirators, they maintained complete silence about their
intentions.

gesticulation

motion; gesture
Operatic performers are trained to make exaggerated gesticulations because of the large auditoriums in
whic they appear.

ghastly

horrible
The murdered man was a ghastly sight.

gibberish

nonsense; babbling
Did you hear that foolish boy spouting gibberish about monsters from outer space?

gibe

mock
As you gibe at their superstitious beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of similarly foolish
thoughts?

giddy

light-hearted; dizzy
He felt his giddy youth was past.

gingerly

very carefully To separate egg whites, first crack the egg gingerly.

girth

distance around something; circunference
It took an extra-large cummerbund to fit around Andrew Carnegie's considerable girth.

gist

essence
she was asked to give the gist of the essay in two sentence.

glacial

like a glacier; extremely cold
Never a warm person, when offended hugo could seem positively glacial.

glaring

highly conspicuous; harshly bright
glaring spelling or grammatical errors in your resume will unfavorably impress potential employers.

glaze

cover with a thin and shiny surface
The freezing rain glazed the streets and made driving hazardous.

glean

gather leavings
After the crops had been harvested by the machines, the peasants were permitted to glean the wheat left in
the fields.

glib

fluent
He is a glib and articulate speaker.

glimmer

shine erratically; twinkle
In the darkness of the cavern, the glowworms hanging from the cavern roof glimmered like distant stars.

gloat

express evil satisfaction; view malevolently
As you gloat over your ill-gotten wealth, do you think of the many victims you have defrauded?

glossary

brief explanation of words used in the text
I have found the glossary in this book very useful; it has eliminated many trips to the dictionary.

glossy

smooth and shining
I want this photograph printed on glossy paper, not matte.

gloss

over explain away
No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, President Bush could not gloss over the fact that he
had raised the taxes after all.

glower

scowl
The angry boy glowered at his father.

glutinous

sticky; viscous
Molasses is a glutinous substance.

glutton

someone who eats too much
When Mother saw that Bobby had eaten all the cookies, she called him a little glutton.

glut

overstock; fill to excess
The many manufacturers glutted the market and could not find purchasers for the many articles they had
produced.

gnarled

twisted
The gnarled oak tree had been a landmark for years and was mentioned in several deeds.

gnome

dwarf; underground spirit
In medieval mythology, gnomes were the special guardians and inhabitants of subterranean mines.

goad

urge on
He was goaded by his friends until he yielded to their wishes.

gorge

narrow canyon; steep, rocky cleft
Terrified of heights, George could not bring himself to peer down into the gorge to see the rapids below.

gorge

stuff oneself
The gluttonous guest gorged himself with food as though he had not eaten for days.

gory

bloody
The audience shuddered as they listened to the details of the gory massacre.

gossamer

sheer; like cobwebs
Nylon can be woven into gossaner or thick fabrics.

gouge

tear out
In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to gouge each other's eyes
out.

gourmand

epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink
goumands lack self-restraint; if they enjoy a particular cuisine, they eat far too much of it.

gourmet

connoisseur of food and drink
The gourmet stated that this was the best onion soup she had ever tasted.

graduated

arraged by degree (of height, difficulty, etc.)
Margaret loved her graduated set of Russian hollow wooden dolls; she spent hours happily putting the
smaller dolls into their larger counterparts.

granary

storehouse for grain
We have reason to be thankful, for our crops were good and our granaries are full.

grandeur

impressiveness; stateliness; majesty
No matter how often he hiked through the mountains, David never failed to be struck by the grandeur of
the Sierra Nevada range.

grandiloquent

pompous; bombastic; using high-sounding language
The politician could bever speak simply; she was always grandiloquent.

grandiose

imposing; impressive
His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.

granulate

form into grains
Sugar that has been granulated dissolves more readily than lump sugar.

graphic

pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described
I was particularly impressed by the graphic presentation of the storm.

grapple

wrestle; come to grips with
He grappled with the burglar and overpowered him.

grate

make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred
The screams of the quarreling children grated on her nerves.

gratify

please
Her parents were gratified by her success.

gratis

free
The company offered to give one package gratis to every purchaser of one of their products.

gratuitous

given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for
Quit making gratuitous comments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion.

gratuity

tip
Many service employees rely more on gratuities than on salaries for their livelihood.

gravity

seriousness
We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of her expression.

gregarious

sociable
Typically, party-throwers are gregarious; hermits are not.

grievance

cause of complaint
When her supervisor ignored her complaint, she took her grievance to the union.

grill

question severely
In violation of the Miranda law, the police grilled the suspect for several hours before reading him his
rights.

grimace

a facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc.
Even though he remained silent, his grimace indicated his displeasure.

grisly

ghastly
She shuddered at the grisly sight.

grotesque

fantastic; comically hideous
On Halloween people enjoy wearing groteque costumes.

grotto

small cavern
The Blue Grotto in Capri can be entered only by small boats rowed by natives through a natural opening in
the rocks.

grouse

complain; fuss
Students traditionally grouse about the abysmal quality of "mystery meat" and similar dornitory food.

grovel

crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate
Even though we have been defeated, we do not have to grovel before our conquerors.

grudging

unwilling; reluctant; stingy
We received only grudging support from the mayor despite his earlier promises of aid.

grueling

exhausting
The marathon is a grueling race.

gruel

thin, liquid porridge
Our daily allotment of gruel made the meal not only monotonous but also unpalatable.

gruesome

grisly
People screamed when her gruesome appearance was flashed on the screen.

gruff

rough-mannered
Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was always gentle with children.

guffaw

boisterous laughter
The loud guffaws that came from the closed room indicated that the members of the committe had not yet
settled down to a serious business.

guileless

without deceit
He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud.

guile

deceit; duplicity
She achieved her high position by guile and treachery.

guise

appearance; costume
In the guise of a plumber, the detective investigated the murder case.

gullible

easily deceived
He preyed upon gullible people, who believed his stories of easy wealth.

gustatory

affecting the sense of taste
The Thai restaurant offered an unusual gustatory experience for those used in a bland cuisine.

gusto

enjoyment; enthusiasm
He accepted the assignment with such gusto that I feel he would have been satisfied with a smaller salary.

gusty

windy
The gusty weather made sailing precarious.

gyroscope

apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc.
By using a rotating gyroscope, they were able to stabilize the vessel, counteracting the rolling movements
of the sea.
114. - apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc.

hackles

hairs on back and neck, especially of a dog
The dog's hackles rose and he began to growl as the sound of footsteps grew louder.

hackneyed

commonplace; trite
The English teacher criticized her story because of its hackneyed and unoriginal plot.

haggard

wasted away; gaunt
After his long illness, he was pale and haggard.

haggle

argue about prices
I prefer to shop in a store that has a one-price policy because, whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper, I am
never certain that I paid a fair price for the articles I purchased.

halcyon

calm; peaceful
In those halcyon days, people were not worried about sneak attacks and bombings.

hale

healthy
After a brief illness, he was soon hale.

hallowed

blessed; consecrated
She was laid to rest in hallowed ground.

hallucination

delusion
I think you were frightened by a hallucination that you created in you own mind.

halting

hesitant; faltering
Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words.

hamper

obstruct
The minority party agreed not to hamper the efforts of the leaders to secure a lasting peace.

haphazard

random; by chance
His haphazard reading left him unaquainted with the authors of the books.

hapless

unfortunate
This hapless creature had never known a moment's pleasure.

hap

chance; luck
In his poem hap, Thomas Hardy objects to the part chance plays in our lives.

harangue

long, passionate, and vehement speech
In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders.

harass

annoy by repeated attacks
When he could not pay his bills as quickly as he had promised, he was harrassed by his creditors.

harbinger

forerunner
The crocus is an early harbinger of spring.

harbor

provide a refuge for; hide
The church harbored illegal aliens who were political refugees.

hardy

sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather
We asked the gardening expert to recommend particularly hardy plants that could withstand our harsh
New England winters.

harping

tiresome dwelling on a subject
After he had reminded me several times about what he had done for me I told him to stop his harping on
my indebtedness to him.

harrow

break up ground after plowing; torture
I don't want to harrow you at this time by asking you to recall the details of your unpleasant experience.

harry

harass, annoy, torment; raid
The guerrilla band harried the enemy nightly.

hatch

deck opening; lid covering a deck opening
The latch on the hatch failed to catch, so the hatch remained unlatched.

haughtiness

pride; arrogance
I resent his haughtiness because he is no better than we are.

hazardous

dangerous
Your occupation is too hazardous for insurance companies to consider your application.

hazy

slightly obscure
In hazy weather, you cannot see the top of this mountain.

headlong

hasty; rash
The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a headlong dash across the border to freedom.

headstrong

stubborn; willful; unyielding
Because she refused to marry the man her parents had chosen for her, everyone scolded Minna and called
her a foolish, headstrong girl.

heckler

person who verbally harasses others The heckler kept interrupting the speaker with rude remarks.

hedonism

belief that pleasure is the sole aim in life
hedonism and asceticism are opposing philosophies of human behavior.

heedless

not noticing; disregarding
He drove on, heedless of the warnings that the road was dangerous.

hegemony

dominance, especially of one nation over others
As one Eastern European nation after another declared its independence, commentators marveled at the
sudden breakdown of the once monolithic Soviet hegemony.

heinous

atrocious; hatefully bad
Hitler's heinous crimes will never be forgotten.

herbivorous

grain-eating
Some herbivorous animals have two stomachs for digesting their food.

heresy

opinion contrary to popular belief or to accepted religion
He was threatened with excommunication because his remarks were considered to be pure heresy.

heretic

person who maintains opinions contrary to the doctrines of the church
She was punished by the Spanish Inquisition because she was a heretic.

hermetic

obscure and mysterious; occult
It is strange to consider that modern chemistry originated in the hermetic teachings of the ancient
alchemists.

hermetic

sealed by fusion so as to be airtight
After these bandages are sterilized, they are placed in hermetic containers.

hermitage

home of a hermit
Even in his remote hermitage he could not escape completely from the world.

herpetologist

one who studies reptiles
As a boy, Indiana Jones had a traumatic experience involving snakes; sensibly enough, he studies to be
archaeologist, not a herpetologist.

heterodox

unorthodox; unconventional
To those who upheld the belief that the earth did not move, Galileo's theory that the earth circled the sun
was disturbingly heterodox.

heterogeneous

dissimilar
In a heterogeneous group, we have an unassorted assemblage, while in a homogeneous group we have
people or things that have common traits.

hew

cut to pieces with ax or sword
The cavalry rushed into melee and hewed the enemy with their swords.

heyday

time of greatest success; prime
In their heyday, the San Francisco Forty-Niners won the Super Bowl two years running.

hiatus

gap; pause
Except for a brief two-year hiatus, during which she enrolled in the Peace Corps, Ms. Clements has
devoted herself to her medical career.

hibernal

wintry
Bears prepare for their long hibernal sleep by overeating.

hibernate

sleep throughout the winter
Bears are one of the many species of animals that hibernate.

hierarchy

body divided into ranks
It was difficult to step out of one's place in this hierarchy.

hieroglyphic

picture writing
The discovery of the Rosetta Stone enabled scholars to read the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

hilarity

boisterous mirth
The hilarity is improper on this solemn day of mourning.

hindmost

furthest behind
The coward could always be found in the hindmost lines whenever a battle was being waged.

hindrance

block; obstacle
Stalled cars along the highway are a hindrance to traffic that tow trucks should remove without delay.

hinterlands

back country
They seldom had visitors, living as they did way out in the hinderlands.

hireling

one who serves for hire (usually used contemptuously)
In a matter of such importance, I do not wish to deal with hirelings; I must meet with the chief.

hirsute

hairy
He was a hitsute individual with a heavy black beard.

histrionic

theatrical
He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to paly the role of Hamlet.

hoard

stockpile; accumulate for future use
Whenever there are rumors of a food shortage, people are tempted to hoard food.

hoary

white with age
The man was hoary and wrinkled when he was 70.

hoax

trick; practical joke
Embarrassed by the hoax, he reddened and left the room.

holocaust

destruction by fire
Citizens of San Francisco remember that the destruction of the city was caused not by the earthquake but
by the holocaust that followed.

holster

pistol case
Even when he was not in uniform, he carried a holster and pistol under his arm.

homage

honor; tribute
In her speech she tried to pay homage to a great man.

homeostasis

tendency of a system to maintain relative stability
A breakdown of the body's immune system severely undermines the body's ability to maintain
homeostasis.

homespun

domestic; made at home
homespun wit, like homespun cloth, was often coarse and plain.

homily

sermon; serious warning
His speeches were always homilies, advising his listeners to repent and reform.

homogeneous

of the same kind
Many educators try to put pupils of similar abilities in the same class because they believe that his
homogeneous grouping is advisable.

hone

sharpen
To make shaving easier, he honed his razor with great care.

hoodwink

deceive; delude
Having been hoodwinked once by the fast-talking salesman, he was extremely cautious when he went to
purchase a used car.

horde

crowd
Just before Christmas the stores are filled with hordes of shoppers.

hortatory

encouraging; exhortive
The crowd listened to his hortatory statements with ever-growing excitement; finally they rushed from the
hall to carry to his suggestions.

horticultural

pertaining to cultivation of gardens
When he bought his house, he beganto look for flowers and decorative shrubs, and began to read books
dealing with horticultural matters.

hovel

shack; small, wretched house
He wondered how poor people could stand living in such a hovel.

hover

hang about; wait nearby
The police helicopter hovered above the accident.

hubbub

confused uproar The marketplace was a scene of hubbub and excitement.

hubris

arrogance; excessive self-conceit
Filled with hubris, Lear refused to heed his friends' warnings.

hue

color; aspect
The aviary contained birds of every possible hue.

hue

outcry
When her purse was snatched, she raised such a hue and cry that the thief was captured.

humane

kind
His humane and considerate treatment of the unfortunate endeared him to all.

humdrum

dull; monotonous
After years of adventure, he could not settle down to a humdrum existence.

humid

damp
She could not stand the humid climate and moved to a drier area.

humility

humbleness of spirit
He spoke with a humility and lack of pride that impressed his listeners.

hummock

small hill
The ascent of the hummock is not difficult and the view from the hilltop is ample reward tor the effort.

humus

substance formed by decaying vegetable matter
In order to improve his garden, he spread humus over his lawn and flower beds.

hurtle

crash; rush
The runaway train hurtled toward disaster.

husbandry

frugality; thrift; agriculture
He accumulated his small fortune by diligence and husbandry.

hybrid

mongrel; mixed breed
Mendel's formula explains the appearance of hybrids and pure species in breeding.

hydrophobia

fear of water; rabies
A dog that bites a human being must be observed for symptoms of hydrophobia.

hyperbole

exaggeration; overstatement
This salesman is guilty of hyperbole in describing his product; it is wise to discount his claims.

hypercritical

excessively exacting
You are hypercritical in your demands for perfection; we all make mistakes.

hypochondriac

person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness
The doctor prescribed chocolate pills for his patient who was a hypocondriac.

hypocritical

pretending to be virtuous; deceiving
I resent his hypocritical posing as a friend for I know he is interested only in his own advancement.

hypothetical

based on assumptions or hypotheses
Why do we have to consider hypothetical cases when we have actual case histories that we may examine?

ichthyology

study of fish
Jacques Cousteau's rpograms about sea life have advanced the cause of ichthyology.

iconoclastic

attacking cherished traditions
George Bernard Shaw's iconoclastic plays often startled more conventional people.

icon

religious image; idol
The icons on the walls of the church were painted in the 13th century.

ideology

ideas of a group of people
That ideology is dangerous to this country because it embraces undemocratic philosophies.

idiom

spcial usage in language
I could not understand their idioms because literal translation made no sense.

idiosyncrasy

peculiarity; eccentricity
One of his personal idiosyncrasies was his habit of rinsing all cutlery given him in a restaurant.

idiosyncratic

private; peculiar to an individual
Such behavior is idiosyncratic, it is as easily identifiable as a signature.

idolatry

worship of idols; excessive admiration
Such idolatry of singers of country music is typical of the excessive enthusiasm of youth.

idyllic

charmingly carefree; simple
Far from the city, she led an idyllic existence in her rural retreat.

igneous

produced by fire; volcanic
Lava, pumice, and other igneous rocks are found in great abundance around Mount Vesuvius near Naples.

ignite

kindle; light
When Desi crooned, "Baby, light my fire," literal-minded Lucy looked around for some paper to ignite.

ignoble

of lowly origin; unworthy
This plan is inspired by ignoble motives and I must, therefore, oppose it.

ignominious

disgraceful
The country smarted under the ignominious defeat and dreamed of the day when it would be victorious.

illicit

illegal
The defense attorney claimed that the police had entrapped his client; that is, they had elicited the illicit
action of which they now accuse of him.

illimitable

infinite
Human beings, having explored the far corners of the earth, are now reaching out into illimitable space.

illuminate

brighten; clear up or make understandable; enlighten
Just as a lamp can illuminate a dark room, a perceptive comment can illuminate a knotty problem.

illusion

misleading vision
It is easy to create an optical illusion in which lines of equal length appear different.

illusive

deceiving
This is only a mirage; let us not be fooled by its illusive effect.

illusory

deceptive; not real
Unfortunately, the costs of running the lemonade stand were so high that Tom's profits proved illusory.

imbalance

lack of balance or symmetry; disproportion
Because of the great imbalance between the number of men and women invited, the dance was
unsuccessful.

imbecility

weakness of mind
I am amazed at the imbecility of the readers of these trashy magazines.

imbibe

drink in
The dry soil imbibed the rain quickly.

imbroglio

complicated situation; perplexity; entanglement
He was called in to settle the imbroglio but failed to bring harmony into the situation.

imbue

saturate, fill
His visits to the famous Gothic cathedrals imbued him with feelings of awe and reverence.

immaculate

pure; spotless
The West Point cadets were immaculate as they lined up for inspection.

imminent

near at hand; impending
Rosa was such a last-minute worker that she could never start writing a paper till the deadline was
imminent.

immobility

state of being immovable
Modern armies cannot afford the luxury of immobility, as they are vulnerable to attack while standing still.

immolate

offer as a sacrifice
The tribal kind offered to immolate his daughter to quiet the angry gods.

immure

imprison; shut up in confinement For the two weeks before the examination, the student immureed himself in his room and concentrated
upon his studies.

immutable

unchangeable
Scientists are constantly seeking to discover the immutable laws of nature.

impair

worsen; diminish in value
This arrest will impair her reputation in the community.

impale

pierce
He was impaled by the spear hurled by his adversary.

impalpable

imperceptible; intangible
The ash is so fine that it is impalpable to the touch but it can be seen as a fine layer covering the window
ledge.

impasse

predicament from which there is no escape
In this impasse, all turned to prayer as their last hope.

impassive

without feeling; not affected by pain
The Native American has been incorrectly depicted as an impassive individual, undemonstrative and
stoical.

impeach

charge with crime in office; indict
The angry congressman wanted to impeach the President for his misdeeds.

impeccable

faultless
He was proud of his impeccable manners.

impecunious

without money
Now that he was wealthy, he gladly contributed to funds to assist impecunious and disbled persons.

impede

hinder; block
The special prosecutor determined that the Attorney General, though inept, had not intentionally set out to
impede the progress of the investigation.

impediment

hindrance; stumbling-block
She had a speech impediment that prevented her from speaking clearly.

impending

nearing; approaching
The entire country was saddened by the news of his impending death.

impenetrable

not able to be pierced or entered
How could the murderer have gotten into the locked room? To Watson, the mystery, like the room, was
impenetrable.

impenitent

not repentant
We could see by his brazen attitude that he was impenitent.

imperial

like an emperor; related to an empire
When hotel owner Leona Helmsley appeared in ads as Queen Leona standing guard over the Palace Hotel,
her critics mocked her imperial fancies.

imperiousness

lordliness; domineering manner; arrogance
His imperiousness indicated that he had long been accustomed to assuming command.

impermeable

impervious; not permitting passage through its substance
This new material is impermeable to liquids.

impertinent

insolent
I regard your remarks as impertinent and I resent them.

imperturbable

calm; placid
Wellington remained imperturbable and in full command of the situation in spite of the hyteria and panic
all around him.

impervious

not penetrable; not permitting passage through
You cannot change their habits for their minds are impervious to reasoning.

impetuous

violent; hasty; rash
We tried to curb his impetuous behavior because we felt that in his haste he might offend some people.

impetus

moving force; incentive; stimulus
A new federal highway program would create jobs and five added impetus to our economic recovery.

impiety

irreverence; wickedness
We must regard your blasphemy as an act of impiety.

impinge

infringe; touch; collide with
How could they be married without impinging on one another's freedom?

impious

irreverent
The congregation was offended by her impious remarks.

implacable

incapable of being pacified
Madame Defarge was the implacable enemy of the Evremonde family.

implausible

unlikely; unbelievable
Though her alibi seened implausible, it in fact turned out to be true.

implement

put into effect; supply with tools
The mayor was unwilling to implement the plan until she was sure it had the governor's backing.

implication

that which is hinted at or suggested
If I understand the implications of your remark, you do not trust our captain.

implicit

understood but not stated
Jack never told Jill he adored her; he believed his love was implicit in his deeds.

implore

beg
He implored her to give him a second chance.

imply

suggest a meaning not expressed
Even though your statement does not declare that you are at war with that country, your actions imply that
that is the actual situation.

impolitic

not wise
I think it is impolitic to raise this issue at the present time because the public is too angry.

imponderable

weightless
I can evaluate the data gathered in this study; the imponderable items are not so easily analyzed.

importunate

urging; demanding
He tried to hide from his importunate creditors until his allowance arrived.

importune

beg persistently
Democratic and Republican phone solicitors importuned her for contributions so frequently that she
decided to give nothing to either party.

import

significance
I feel that you have not grasped the full import of the message sent tous by the enemy.

imposture

assuming a false identity; masquerade
She was imprisoned for her imposture of a doctor.

impotent

weak; ineffective
Although he wished to break the nicotine habit, he found himself impotent in resisisting the craving for a
cigarette.

imprecation

curse
Roused from the bed at what he considered an ungodly hour, Roy muttered imprecations under his breath.

impregnable

invulnerable
Until the development of the airplane as a military weapon, the fort was considered impregnable.

impromptu

without previous preparation
Her listeners were amazed that such a thorough presentation could be made in an impromptu speech.

impropriety

state of being inappropriate
Because of the impropriety of his costume, he was denied entrance into the dining room.

improvident

thriftless
He was constantly being warned to mend his improvident ways and begin to "save for a rainy day."

improvise

compose on the spur of the moment
She would sit at the piano and improvise for hours on themes from Bach and Handel.

imprudent

lacking caution; injudicious
It is imprudent to exercise vigorously and become overheated when you are unwell.

impugn

doubt; challenge; gainsay
I cannot impugn your honesty without evidence.

impuissance

powerlessness; feebleness
The lame duck President was frustrated by his shift from enormous power to relative impuissance.

impunity

freedom from punishment
The bully mistreated everyone in the class with impunity for he felt that no one would dare retaliate.

impute

attribute; ascribe
If I wished to impute blame to the officers in charge of this program, I would state my feelings definitely
and immediately.

inadvertently

carelessly; unintentionally; by oversight
She inadvertently omitted two questions on the examination and mismarked her answer sheet.

inalienable

not to be taken away; nontransferable
The Declaration of Independence mentions the inalienable rights that all of us possess.

inane

silly; senseless
Such comments are inane because they do not help us solve our program.

inanimate

lifeless
she was asked to identify the still and inanimate body.

inarticulate

speechless; producing indistinct speech
He became inarticulate with rage and uttered sounds without meaning.

inaugurate

begin formally; install in office
The candidate promised that he would inaugurate a new nationwide health care plan as soon as he was
inaugurated as president.

incandescent

stikingly bright; shining with intense heat
If you leave on an incandescent light bulb, it quickly grows too hot to touch.

incantation

singing or chanting of magical formula
Uttering incantations to make the brew more potent, the witch doctor stirred the liquid in the caldron.

incapacitate

disable
During the winter, many people were incapacitated by respiratory ailments.

incarcerate

imprison
The warden will incarcerate the felon after conviction.

incarnate

endowed with flesh; personified
Your attitude is so fiendish that you must be a devil incarnate.

incarnation

act of assuming a human body and human nature
The incarnation of Jesus Christ is a basic tenet of Christian theology.

incendiary

arsonist
The fire spread in such an unusual manner that the fire department chiefs were certain that it had been set
by an incendiary.

incense

enrage; infuriate
Unkindness to children incensed her.

incentive

spur; motive
Students who dislike school must be given an incentive to learn.

inception

start; beginning
She was involved with the project from its inception.

incessant

uninterrupted
The crickets kept up an incessant chirping that disturbed our attempts to fall asleep.

inchoate

recently begun; rudimentary; elementary
Before the Creation, the world was an inchoate mass.

incidence

rate of occurrence; particular occurrence
Health professionals expressed great concern over the high incidence of infant mortality in major urban
areas.

incidental

not essential; minor
The scholarship covered his major expenses at college and some of his incidental expenses as well.

incipient

beginning; in an early stage
I will go to sleep early for I want to break an incipient cold.

incisive

cutting; sharp
His incisive remarks made us see the fallacy in our plans.

incite

arouse to action
The demogogue incited the mob to take action into its own hands.

inclement

stormy; unkind
I like to read a good book in inclement weather.

inclined

tending or leaning toward; bent
Though I am inclined to be skeptical, the witness's manner inclines me to believe his story.

incline

slope; slant
The architect recommended that the nursing home's ramp be rebuilt because its incline was too steep for
wheelchairs.

inclusive

tending to include all
The comedian turned down the invitation to join the Player's Club, saying any club that would let him in
was too inclusive for him.

incognito

with identity concealed; using an assumed name
The monarch enjoyed traveling throughthe town incognito and mingling with the populace.

incoherent

unintelligible; muddled; illogical
The bereaved father sobbed and stammered, his words becoming almost incoherent in his grief.

incommodious

not spacious; inconvenient
In their incommodious quarters, they had to improvise for closet space.

incompatible

inharmonious
The married couple argued incessantly and finally decided to separate because they were incompatible.

incongruity

lack of harmony; absurdity
The incongruity of his wearing sneakers with formal attire amused the observers.

inconsequential

insignificant; unimportant
Brushing off Ali's apologies for having broken the wine glass, Tamara said, "Don't worry about it; it's
inconsequential."

inconsistency

state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness
How are lawyers different from agricultural inspectors? Where lawyers check inconsistencies in witnesses'
statements, agricultural inspectors check inconsistencies in Grade A eggs.

incontinent

lacking self-restraint
His incontinent behavior off stage shocked many people and they refused to attend the plays and movies
in which he appeared.

incontrovertible

indisputable
We must yield to the incontrovertible evidence that you have presented and free your client.

incorporate

introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite
Breaking with precedent, President Truman ordered the military to incorporate blacks into every branch of
the armed services.

incorporeal

immaterial; without a material body
We must devote time to the needs of our incorporeal mind as well as our corporeal body.

incorrigible

uncorrectable
Though Widow Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson pronounced him incorrigible and said he
would come to no good end.

incredulity

a tendency to disbelief
Your incredulity in the face of all the evidence is hard to understand.

incredulous

withholding belief; skeptical When Jack claimed he hadn't eaten the jelly doughnut, Jill took an incredulous look at his smeared face and
laughed.

increment

increase
The new contract calls for a 10 percent increment in salary for each employee for the next two years.

incriminate

accuse; serve as evidence against
The witness's testimony against the racketeers incriminates some high public officials as well.

incubate

hatch; scheme
Inasmuch as our supply of electricity is cut off, we shall have to rely on the hens to incubate these eggs.

incubus

burden; mental care; nightmare
The incubus of financial worry helped bring on her nervous breakdown.

incumbent

officeholder
The newly elected public official received valuable advice from the present incumbent.

incursion

temporary invasion
The nightly incursions and hit-and-run raids of our neighbors across the border tried the patience of the
country to the point where we decided to retaliate in force.

incur

bring upon oneself
His parents refused to pay any future debts he might incur.

indefatigable

tireless
He was indefatigable in his constant efforts to raise funds for the Red Cross.

indemnify

make secure against loss; compensate for loss
The city will indemnify all home owners whose property is spoiled by this project.

indenture

bind as servant or apprentice to master
Many immigrants could come to America only after they had indentured themselves for several years.

indeterminate

uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite
That interest rates shall rise appears certain; when they will do so, however, remains indeterminate.

indicative

suggestive; implying
A lack of appetite may be indicative of a major mental or physical disorder.

indict

charge
If the grand jury indicts the suspect, he will go to trial.

indifferent

unmoved; lacking concern
Because she felt no desire to marry, she was indifferent to his constant proposals.

indigence

poverty
Neither the economists nor the political scientists have found a way to wipe out the inequities of wealth
and eliminate indigence from our society.

indigenous

native
Tobacco is one of the indigenous plants that the early explorers found in this country.

indignation

anger ar an injustice
He felt indignation at the ill-treatment of the helpless animals.

indignity

offensive or insulting treatment
Although he seemed to accept cheerfully the indignities heaped upon him, he was inwardly very angry.

indiscriminate

choosing at random; confused
She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing and decided to restrict him to educational
programs.

indisputable

too certain to be disputed
In the face of these indisputable statements, I withdraw my complaint.

indissoluble

permanent
The indissoluble bonds of marriage are all too often being dissolved.

indite

write; compose
Cyrano indited many letters for Christian.

indolence

laziness
He outgrew his youthful indolence to become a model of industry and alertness on the job.

indomitable

unconquerable
The founders of our country had indomitable willpower.

indubitably

beyond a doubt
Because her argument was indubitably valid, the judge accepted it.

induce

persuade; bring about
After the quarrel, Tina said nothing could induce her to talk to Tony again.

inductive

pertaining to induction or preceeding from the specific to the general
The discovery of the planet Pluto is an excellent example of the results that can be obtained from inductive
reasoning.

indulgent

humoring; yielding; lenient
indulgent parents spoil their children by giving in to their every whim.

inebriety

habitual intoxication
Because of his inebriety, he was discharged from his position as family chauffeur.

ineffable

unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech
Such ineffable joy must be experienced; it cannot be described.

ineffectual

not effective; weak Because the candidate failed to get across his message to the public, his campaign was ineffectual.

ineluctable

irresistable; not to be escaped
He felt that his fate was ineluctible and refused to make any attempt to improve his lot.

inept

lacking skill; inadequate; inappropriate
inept as a carpenter, Ira was all thumbs.

inequity

unfairness
In demanding equal pay for equal work, women protest the basic inequity of a system that allots greater
financial rewards to men.

inerrancy

infallibility
Jane refused to believe in the pope's inerrancy, reasoning: "All human beings are capable of error. The
pope is a human being. Therefore, he pope is capable of error.

inertia

state of being inert or indisposed to move
Our inertia in this matter may prove disastrous; we must move to aid our allies immediately.

inevitable

unavoidable
Death and taxes are both inevitable.

inexorable

relentless; unyielding; implacable
After listening to the pleas for clemency, the judge was inexorable and gave the convicted man the
maximum punishment allowed by law.

infallible

unerring
We must remember that none of us is infallible; we all make mistakes.

infamous

notoriously bad
Jesse James was an infamous outlaw.

infantile

childish; infantlike
When will he outgrow such infantile behavior?

infernal

pertaining to hell; devilish
They could think of no way to hinder his infernal scheme.

infer

deduce; conclude
We must be particularly cautious when we infer that a person is guilty on the basis of circumstantial
evidence.

infidel

unbeliever
The Saracens made war against tne infidels.

infiltrate

pass into or through; penetrate (an organization) sneakily
In order to infiltrate enemy lines at night without being seen, the scouts darkened their faces and wore
black coveralls.

infinitesimal

very small
In the twentieth century, physicists have made their greatest discoveries about the characteristics of
infinitesimal objects like the atom and its parts.

infirmity

weakness
Her greatest infirmity was lack of willpower.

inflated

exaggerated; pompous; enlarged (with air or gas)
His claims about the new product were inflated; it did not work as well as he had promised.

influx

flowing into
The influx of refugees into the country has taxed the relief agencies severely.

infraction

violation
Because of his many infractions of school regulations, he was suspended by the dean.

infringe

violate; encroach
I think your machine infringes on my patent and intend to sue.

ingenious

clever
He came up with a use for Styrofoam packing balls that was so ingenious that his business school
professors declared it was marketable.

ingenuous

naive; young and unsophisticated
Although she was over forty, the movie star still insisted that she be cast as an ingenuous sweet young
thing.

ingrained

deeply established; firmly rooted
Try as they would, the missionaries were unable to uproot the ingrained superstitions of the natives.

ingrate

ungrateful person
That ingrate Bob sneered at the tie I gave him.

ingratiate

become popular with
He tried to ingratiate himself into her parents' good graces.

inherent

firmly established by nature or habit
His inherent love of justice compelled him to come to their aid.

inhibit

prohibit; restrain
The child was not inhibited in her responses.

inimical

unfriendly; hostile
She felt that they were inimical and were hoping for her downfall.

inimitable

matchless; not able to be imitated
We admire Auden for his inimitable use of language; he is one of a kind.

iniquitous

unjust; wicked I cannot approve of the iniquitous methods you used to gain your present position.

initiate

begin; originate; receive into a group
The college is about to initiate a program for reducing math anxiety among students.

injurious

harmful
Smoking cigarettes can be injurious to your health.

inkling

hint
This came as a complete surprise to me as I did not have the slightest inkling of your plans.

innate

inborn
His innate talent for music was soon recognized by his parents.

innocuous

harmless
Let him drink it; it is innocuous and will have no ill effect.

innovation

change; introduction of something new
She loved innovatins just because they were new.

innuendo

hint; insinuation
I can defend myself against direct accusations; innuendos and oblique attacks on my character are what
trouble me.

inopportune

untimely; poorly chosen
A rock concert is an inopportune setting for a quiet conversation.

inordinate

unrestrained; excessive
She had an inordinate fondness for candy.

inquisitive

unduly curious; prying; seeking knowledge
We need more inquisitive students in this school; lectures are dull.

inquisitor

questioner (specially harsh); investigator
Fearing being grilled ruthlessly by the secret police, Marsha faced her inquisitors with trepidation.

insalubrious

unwholesome; not healthful
The mosquito-ridden swamp was an insalubrious place, a breeding ground for malarial contagion.

insatiable

not easily satisfied; greedy
Welty's thirst for knowledge was insatiable; she was in the library day and night.

inscrutable

impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious
Experienced poker players try to keep their expressions inscrutable, hiding their reactions to the cards
behind a so-called poker face.

insensate

without feeling
She lay there as insensate as a log.

insensible

unconscious; unresponsive
Sherry and I are very different; at times when I would be covered with embarrassment, she seems
insensible to shame.

insidious

treacherous; stealthy; sly
The fifth column is insidious because it works secretly within our territory for our defeat.

insinuate

hint; imply
What are you trying to insinuate by that remark?

insipid

lacking in flavor; dull
Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both lack sparkle.

insolence

imprudent disrespect; haughtiness
How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of you insolence.

insolvent

bankrupt; lacking money to pay
When rumors that he was insolvent reached his creditors, they began to press him for payment of the
money due them.

insomnia

wakefulness; inability to sleep
He refused to join us in a midnight cup of coffee because he claimed it gave him insomnia.

insouciant

indifferent; without concern or care
Your insouciant attitude at such a critical moment indicates that you do not understand the gravity of the
situation.

instigate

urge; start; provoke
I am afraid that this statement will instigate a revolt.

insubordinate

disobedient
The insubordinate private was confined to the barracks.

insubstantial

lacking substance; insignificant; frail
His hopes for a career in acting proved insubstantial; no one would cast him, even in an insubstantial role.

insularity

narrow-mindedness; isolation
The insularity of the islanders manifested itself in their suspicion of anyuthing foreign.

insuperable

insurmountable; invincible
In the face of insuperable difficulties they maintained their courage and will to resist.

insurgent

rebellious
We will not discuss reforms until the insurgent troops have returned to their homes.

insurrection

rebellion; uprising
Given the current state of affairs in South Africa, an insurrection seems unavoidable.

intangible

not able to be perceived by touch; vague
Though the financial benefits of his Oxford post were meager, Lewis was drawn to it by its intangible
rewards: prestige, intellectual freedom, the fellowship of his peers.

integral

complete; necessary for completeness
Physical education is an integral part of our curriculum; a sound mind and a sound body are
complementary.

integrate

make whole; combine; make into one unit
She tried to integrate all their activities into one program.

integrity

uprightness; wholeness
Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, fought a civil war to maintain the integrity of the
republic, that these United States might remain undivided for all time.

intellect

higher mental powers
He thought college would develop his intellect.

intelligentsia

intellectuals; members of the educated elite
She preferred discussions about sports and politics to the literary conversations of the intelligentsia.

interdict

prohibit; forbid
Civilized nations must interdict the use of nuclear weapons if we expect out society to live.

interim

meantime
The company will not consider our proposal until next week; in the interim, let us proceed as we have in
the past.

interloper

intruder
The merchant thought of his competitors as interlopers who were stealing away his trade.

interminable

endless
Although his speech lasted for only twenty minutes, it seemed interminable to his bored audience.

intermittent

periodic; on and off
Our picnic was marred by intermittent rains.

internecine

mutually destructive
The rising death toll on both sides indicates the internecine natire of his conflict.

interpolate

insert between
She talked so much that I could not interpolate a single remark.

interregnum

period between two reigns
Henry VIII desperately sought a male heir because he feared the civil strife that might occur if any
prolonged interregum succeeded his death.

interrogate

question closely; cross-examine
Knowing that the Nazis would interrogate him about his background, the secret agent invented a cover
story that would help him meet their quesions.

intersperse

scatter
The molecules will intersperse throughout the space according to the second law of thermodynamics.

intervene

come between
She intervened in the argument between her two sons.

inter

bury
They are going to inter the body tomorrow ar Broadlawn Cemetry.

intimate

hint
She intimated rather than stated her preferences.

intimidation

fear
A ruler who maintains his power by intimidation is bound to develop clandestine resistance.

intractable

unruly; refractory
The horse was intractable and refused to enter the starting gate.

intransigence

state of stubborn unwillingness to compromise
The intransigence of both parties in the dispute makes an early settlement almost impossible to obtain.

intrepid

fearless
For his intrepid conduct in battle, he was promoted.

intrinsically

essentially; inherently; naturally
Although my grandmother's china has intrinsically little value, I shall always cherish it for the memories it
evokes.

introspective

looking within oneself
We all have our introspective moments during which we examine our souls.

introvert

one who is introspective; inclined to think more about oneself
In his poetry, he reveals that he is an introvert by his intense interest in his own problems.

intrude

trespass; enter as an uninvited person
She hesitated to intrude on their conversation.

intuition

power of knowing without reasoning
She claimed to know the truth by intuition.

inundate

overflow; flood
The tremendous waves inundated the town.

inured

accustomed; hardened
She became inured to the Alaskan cold.

invalidate

weaken; destroy
The relatives who received little or nothing sought to invalidate the will by claiming that the deceased had
not been in his right mind when he signed the document.

invective

abuse
He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his proposal.

inveigh

denounce; utter censure or invective He inveighed against the demagoguery of the previous speaker and urged that the audience reject his
philosophy as dangerous.

inveigle

lead astray; wheedle
She was inveigled into joining the club after an initial reluctance.

inverse

opposite
There is an inverse ratio between the strength of light and its distance.

invert

turn upside down or inside out
When he inverted his body in a hand stand, he felt the blood rush to his head.

inveterate

deep-rooted; habitual
She is an inveterate smoker and cannot break the habit.

invidious

designed to create ill will or envy
We disregarded her invidious remarks because we realized how jealous she was.

invincible

unconquerable
Superman is invincible.

inviolability

security from being destroyed, corrupted or profaned
They respected the inviolability of her faith and did not try to change her manner of living.

invoke

call upon; ask for
She invoked her advisor's aid in filling out her financial aid forms.

invulnerable

incapable of injury
Achilles was invulnerable except in his heel.

iota

very small quantity
She hadn't an iota of common sense.

irascible

irritable; easily angered
Her irascible temper frightened me.

irate

angry
When John's mother found out that he had overthrown his checking account for the third month in a row,
she was so irate that she could scarcely speak to him.

iridescent

exhibiting rainbowlike colors
She admired the iridescent hues of the oil that floated on the surface of the water.

irksome

annoying; tedious
He found working on the assembly line irksome because of the monotony of the operation he had to
perform.

ironic

occurring in an unexpected and contrary manner
It is ironic that his success came when he least wanted it.

irony

hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that convey a meaning opposite to the literal meaning
Gradually his listeners began to realize that the excessive praise he was lavishing was merely irony; he was
actually denouncing his opponent.

irreconsilable

incompatible; not able to be resolved
Because the separated couple were irreconcilable, the marriage counselor recommended a divorce.

irrelevant

not applicable; unrelated
This statement is irrelevant and should be disregarded by the jury.

irremediable

incurable; uncorrectable
The error she made was irremediable; she could see no way to repair it.

irreparable

not able to be corrected or repaired
Your apology cannot atone for the irreparable damage you have done to her reputation.

irrepressible

unable to be restrained or held back
Her high spirits were irrepressible.

irresolute

uncertain how to act; weak
She had no respect for him because he seemed weak-willed and irresolute.

irreverent

lacking proper respect
The worshippers resented her irreverent remarks about their faith.

irrevocable

unalterable
Let us not brood over past mistakes since they are irrevocable.

isotope

varying form of an element
The study of the isotopes of uranium led to the development of the nuclear bomb.

isthmus

narrow neck of land connecting two larger bodies of land
In a magnificent feat of engineering, Goethals and his men cut through the isthmus of Panama in
constructing the Panama Canal.

itinerant

wandering; traveling
He was an itinerant peddler and traveled through Pennsylvania and Virginia selling his wares.

itinerary

plan of a trip
Before leaving for his first visit to France and England, he discussed his itinerary with people who had
been there and with his travel agent.

jaded

fatigued; surfeited
He looked for exotic foods to stimulate his jaded appetite.

jargon

language used by special group; gibberish
We tried to understand the jargon of the peddlers in the market place but could not find any basis for
comprehension.

jaundiced

yellowed; prejudiced; envious
She gazed at the painting with jaundiced eyes; she knew it was better than hers.

jaunty

lighthearted; animated; easy and carefree
In Singing in the Rain, Gene Kelly sang and danced his way throughtthe lighthearted title number in a
properly jaunty style.

jaunt

trip; short journey
He took a quick jaunt to Atlantic City.

jeopardy

exposure to death or danger
Legally, one cannot be placed in double jeopardy.

jettison

throw overboard
In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the storm, the captain had to jettison much of his cargo.

jingoism

extremely aggressive and militant patriotism
We must be careful to prevent a spirit of jingoism from spreading at this time.

jocose

given to joking
The salesman was so jocose that many of his customers suggested that he become a stand-up comic.

jocular

said or done in jest
Do not take my jocular remarks seriously.

jocund

merry
Santa Claus is always vivacious and jocund.

jollity

gaiety; cheerfulness
The festive Christmas dinner was a merry one, and old and young alike joined in the general jollity.

jostle

shove; bump
In the subway he was jostled by the crowds.

jovial

good natured; merry
A frown seemed out of place on his invariably jovial face.

jubilation

rejoicing
There was great jubilitation when the armistice was announced.

judicious

sound in judgment; wise
At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious investment that was the foundation of his later wealth.

juggernaut

irresistible crushin force
Nothing could survive in the path of the juggernaut.

juncture

crisis;joining point
At this critical juncture, let us think carefully before determining the course we shall follow.

junket

trip, especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense
Though she maintained she had gone abroad to collect firsthand data on the Common Market, the
opposition claimed that her trip was merely a political junket.

junta

group of persons joined in political intrigue; cabal
As soon as he learned of its existence, the dictator ordered the execution of all of the members of the
junta.

jurisprudence

science of law
He was more a student of jurisprudence than a practitioner of the law.

juxtapose

place side by side
Comparison will be easier if you juxtapose the two objects.

kaleidoscope

tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc.,
produce interesting symmetrical effects
People found a new source of entertainment while peering through the kaleidoscope; they found the ever-
changing patterns fascinating.

ken

range of knowledge
I cannot answer your question since this matter is beyond my ken.

killjoy

grouch; spoilsport
At breakfast we had all been enjoying our bacon and eggs until that killjoy John started talking about how
bad animal fats and cholesterol were for our health.

kindle

start a fire; inspire
Her teacher's praise kindled a spark a hope inside her.

kindred

related; similar in nature or character
Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were two kindred spirits.

kinetic

producing motion
Designers of the electric automobile find that their greatest obstacle lies in the development of light and
efficient storage batteries, the source of the kinetic energy needed to propel the vehicle.

kismet

fate
kismet is the Arabic word for "fate."

kleptomaniac

person who has a compulsive desire to steal
They discovered that the wealthy customer was a kleptomaniac when they caught her stealing some cheap
trinkets.

knavery

rascality
We cannot condone such knavery in public officials.

knead

mix; work dough
Her hands grew strong from kneading bread.

knell

tolling of a bell, especially to indicate a funeral, disaster, etc.; sound of the funeral bell
"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day."

knit

contract into wrinkles
Whenever David worries, his brow knits in a frown.

knoll

little, round hill
Robert Louis Stevenson's grave is on a knoll in Samoa; to reach the grave site, you must climb uphill and
walk a short distance along a marked path.

knotty

intricate; difficult; tangled
What to Watson had been a knotty problem to Sherlock Holmes was simplicity itself.

kudos

honor; glory; praise
The singer complacently received kudos on his performance from his entourage.

labile

likely to change; unstable
Because the hormonal changes they undergo affect their spirits, adolescents may become emotionally labile
and experience sudden shifts of mood.

laborious

demanding much work or care; tedious
In putting together his dictionary of the English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a laborious task.

labyrinth

maze
Tom and Becky were lost in the labyrinth of secret caves.

lacerate

mangle; tear
Her body was lacerated in the automobile crash.

lachrymose

producing tears
His voice has a lachrymose quality that is more appropriate at a funeral than a class reunion.

lackadaisical

affectedly languid
He was lackadaisical and indifferent about his part in the affair.

lackluster

dull
We were disappointed by the lackluster performance.

laconic

brief and to the point
Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic types: strong men of few words.

laggard

slow; sluggish
The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders.

lagoon

shallow body of water near a sea; lake
They enjoyed their swim in the calm lagoon.

laity

laypersons; persons not connected with the clergy
The laity does not always understand the clergy's problems.

lambaste

beat; thrash verbally or physically
It was painful to watch the champion lambaste his opponent, tearing into him mercilessly.

lament

grieve; express sorrow
Even advocates of the war lamented the loss of so many lives in combat.

lampoon

ridicule
This article lampoons the pretensions of some movie moguls.

languid

weary; sluggish; listless
Her siege of illness left her languid and pallid.

languish

lose animation; lose strength
In stories, lovelorn damsels used to languish and pine away.

languor

lassitude; depression
His friends tried to overcome the languor into which he had fallen by taking him to parties and to the
theater.

lank

long and thin
lank, gaunt, Abraham Lincoln was a striking figure.

larceny

theft
Because of the prisoner's record, the district attorney refused to reduce the charge from grand larceny to
petit larceny.

larder

pantry; place where food is kept
The first thing Bill did on returning home from school was to check what snacks his mother had in the
larder.

largess

generous gift
Lady Bountiful distributed largess to the poor.

lascivious

lustful
Because they might arouse lascivious impulses in their readers, the lewd books were banned by the clergy.

lassitude

languor; weariness
The hot, tropical weather created a feeling of lassitude and encouraged drowsiness.

latent

dormant; hidden
Her latent talent was discovered by accident.

lateral

coming from the side
In order to get good plant growth, the gardener must pinch off all lateral shoots.

latitude

freedom from narrow limitations
I think you have permitted your son too much latitude in this matter.

laudable

praiseworthy; commendable
His laudable deeds will be remarked by all whom he aided.

laudatory

expressing praise
The critics' laudatory comments helped to make her a star.

lavish

liberal; wasteful
The actor's lavish gifts pleased her.

laxative

facilitating evacuation of the bowels
The effect of the constipation medicine is laxative; it empties the bowels.

lax

careless
We dislike restaurants where the service is lax and inattentive.

leaven

cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven
As bread dough is leavened, it puffs up, expanding in volume.

lechery

gross lewdness; lustfulness
In his youth he led a life of lechery and debauchery; he did not mend his ways until middle age.

lectern

reading desk
The chaplain delivered his sermon from a hastily improvised lectern.

leery

suspicious; cautious
Don't eat sushi at this restaurant; I'm a bit leery about how fresh it is.

leeway

room to move; margin
When you set a deadline, allow a little leeway.

legacy

a gift made by a will
Part of my legacy from my parents is an album of family photographs.

legend

explanatory list of symbols on a map
The legend at the bottom of the map made it clear which symbols stood for rest areas along the highway
and which stood for public camp sites.

legerdemain

sleight of hand
The magician demonstrated his renowned legerdemain.

leniency

mildness; permissiveness
Considering the gravity of the offense, we were surprised by the leniency of the sentence.

leonine

like a lion
He was leonine in his rage.

lethal

deadly
It is unwise to leave lethal weapons where children may find them.

lethargic

drowsy; dull
The stuffy room made her lethargic; she felt as if she was about to nod off.

levee

earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding
As the river rose and threatened to overflow the levee, emergency workers rushed to reinforce the walls
with sandbags.

levitate

float in the air (especially by magical means)
As the magician passed his hands over the recumbent body of his assistant, she appeared to rise and
levitate about three feet above the table.

levity

lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity
Stop giggling abd wriggling around in the pew; such levity is improper in church.

levy

impose (a fine); collect (a payment)
Crying "No taxation withouth representation," the colonists demonstrated against England's power to levy
taxes.

lewd

lustful
They found his lewd stories objectionable.

lexicographer

compiler of a dictionary
The new dictionary is the work of many lexicographers who spent years compiling and editing the work.

lexicon

dictionary
I cannot find this word in any lexicon in the library.

liability

drawback; debts
Her lack of an extensive vocabulary was a liability that she was able to overcome.

liaison

officer who acts as go-between for two armies; intermediary
As the liason, he had to avoid offending the leaders of the two armies.

libelous

defamatory; injurious to the good name of a person
He sued the newspaper because of its libelous story.

libertine

debauched person, roue Although she was aware of his reputation as a libertine, she felt she could reform him and help him break
his dissolute way of life.

libidinous

lustful
They objected to his libidinous behavior.

libido

emotional urges behind human activity
The psychiatrist maintained that suppression of the libido often resulted in maladjustment and neuroses.

libretto

text of an opera
The composer of an opera's music is remembered more frequently than the author of its libretto.

licentious

wanton; lewd; dissolute
The licentious monarch helped bring about his country's downfall.

lien

legal claim on a property
There was a delay before Ralph could take possession of his late uncle's home; apparently, another
claimant had a lien upon the estate.

ligneous

like wood
Petrified wood may be ligneous in appearance, but it is stonelike in composition.

lilliputian

extremely small
Tiny and delicate, the model was built on a lilliputian scale.

limber

flexible
Hours of ballet classes kept him limber.

limbo

region near heaven or hell where certain souls are kept
Among the divisions of Hell are Purgatory and limbo.

limn

draw; outline; describe
Parodoxically, the more realistic the details this artist chooses, the better able to limn her fantastic, other-
worldly landscapes.

limpid

clear
A limpid stream ran through his property.

lineage

descent; ancestry
He traced his lineage back to Mayflower days.

lineaments

features, especially of the face
She quickly sketched the lineaments of his face.

linguistic

pertaining to language
The modern tourist will encounter very little linguistic difficulty as English has become an almost universal
language.

lionize

treat as a celebrity She enjoyed being lionized and adored by the public.

liquidate

settle accounts; clear up
He was able to liquidate all his debts in short period of time.

listless

lacking in spirit or energy
We had expected him to be full of enthusiasm and were surprised by his listless attitude.

list

tilt; lean over
That flagpole should be absolutely vertical; instead, it lists to one side.

litany

supplicatory prayer
On this solemn day, the congregation responded to the prayers of the priest during the litany with fervor
and intensity.

lithe

flexible; supple
Her figure was lithe and willowy.

litigation

lawsuit
Try to settle this amicably; I do not want to start litigation.

litotes

understatement for emphasis
To say, "He little realizes," when we mean that he does not realize at all, is an example of the kind of
understatement we call litotes.

livid

lead-coloredl; black and blue; ashen; enraged
His face was so livid with rage that we were afraid that he might have an attack of apoplexy.

loathe

detest
We loathed the wicked villain.

loath

averse; reluctant
They were both loath for him to go.

lode

metal-bearing vein
If this lode that we have discovered extends for any distance, we have found a fortune.

lofty

very high
They used to tease him about his lofty ambitions.

loiter

hang around; linger
The policeman told him not to loiter in the alley.

loll

lounge about
They lolled around in their chairs watching television.

longevity

long life
When he reached ninety, the old man was proud of his longevity.

lope

gallop slowly
As the horses loped along, we had an opportunity to admire the ever-changing scenery.

loquacious

talkative
She is very loquacious and can speak on the telephone for hours.

lout

clumsy person
The delivery boy is an awkward lout.

low

moo
From the hilltop, they could see the herd like ants in the distance; they could barely hear the cattle low.

lucid

easily understood; clear; intelligible
Her explanation was lucid enought for a child to grasp.

lucrative

profitable
He turned his hobby into a lucrative profession.

lucre

money
Preferring lucre to undying fame, he wrote stories of popular appeal.

ludicrous

laughable; trifling
Let us be serious; this is not a ludicrous issue.

lugubrious

mournful
The lugabrious howling of the dogs added to our sadness.

lull

moment of calm
Not wanting to get wet, they waited under the awning for a lull in the rain.

lumber

move heavily of clumsily
Still somewhat torpid after its long hibernation, the bear lumbered through the woods.

lumen

unit of light energy (one candle's worth)
In buying light bulbs, she checked not only their power, as measured in watts, but their brightness, as
measured in lumens.

luminary

celebrity; dignitary
A leading light of the American stage, Ethel Barrymore was a theatrical luminary whose name lives on.

luminous

shining; issuing light
The sun is a luminous body.

lunar

pertaining to the moon
lunar craters can be plainly seen with the aid of a small telescope.

lurid

wild; sensational
The lurid stories he told shocked his listeners.

lurk

stealthily lie in waiting; slink; exist unperceived
"Who knows what evils lurk in the hearts of men? The shadow knows."

luscious

pleasing to taste or smell
The ripe peach was luscious.

luster

shine; gloss
The soft luster of the silk in the dim light was pleasing.

lustrous

shining
Her large and lustrous eyes gave a touch of beauty to an otherwise drab face.

luxuriant

fertile; abundant; ornate
Farming was easy in this luxuriant soil.

macabre

gruesome; grisly
The city morgue is a macabre spot for the uninitiated.

macerate

soften by soaking in liquid; waste away
The strawberries had been soaking in the champagn for so long that they had begun to macerate: they
literally fell apart at the touch of a spoon.

mace

ceremonial staff; clublike medieval weapon
The Grand Marshal of the parade raised his mace to signal that it was time for the procession to begin.

machiavellian

crafty; double-dealing
I do not think he will be a good embassador because he is not accustomed to the machiavellian
maneuverings of foreign diplomats.

machinations

schemes
I can see through your wily machinations.

maculated

spotted; stained
Instead of writing that Gorbachev had a birthmark on his forehead, the pompous young poet sang of the
former premier's maculated brow.

madrigal

pastoral song
His program of folk songs included several madrigals which he sang to the accompaniment of a lute.

maelstrom

whirlpool
The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom.

magisterial

authoritative; imperious
The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a magisterial tone of voice.

magnanimity

generosity
Noted for his magnanimity, philanthropist Eugene Lang donated millions to charity.

magnate

person of prominence or influence
The steel magnate decided to devote more time to city politics.

magniloquent

boastful, pompous
In their stories of the trial, the reporters ridiculed the magniloquent speeches of the defense attorney.

magnitude

greatness; extent
It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of his crime.

maim

mutilate; injure
The hospital could not take care of all who had been mangled or maimed in the railroad accident.

maladroit

clumsy; bungling
In his usual maladroit way, he managed to upset the cart and spill the food.

malaise

uneasiness; distress
She felt a sudden vague malaise when she heard sounds at the door.

malapropism

comic misuse of a word
When Mrs. Malaprop criticizes Lydia for being "as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile," she
confuses "allegory" and "allegator" in a typical malapropism.

malcontent

person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs
He was one of the few malcontents in the Congress; he constantly voiced his objections to the Presidential
program.

malediction

curse
The witch uttered maledictions against her captors.

malefactor

criminal
We must try to bring these malefactors to justice.

malevolent

wishing evil
We must thwart his malevolent schemes.

malfeasance

wrongdoing
The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's malfeasance until after he had spent most of the
money he had embezzled.

malicious

dictated by hatred or spite
The malicious neighbor spread the gossip.

malignant

having an evil influence; virulent
This is a malignant disease; we must have to use drastic measures to stop its spread.

malign

speak evil of; defame
Because of her hatred of the family, she maligns all who are friendly to them.

malingerer

one who feigns illness to escape duty
The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work.

malleable

capable of being shaped by pounding
Gold is a malleable metal.

malodorous

foul-smelling
The component heap was most malodorous in summer.

mammal

vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young
Many people regard the whale as a fish and do not realize that it is a mammal.

mammoth

gigantic
The mammoth corporations of the twentieth century are a mixed blessing

manacle

restrain; handcuff
The police immediately manacled the prisoner so he could not escape.

mandate

order; charge
In his inaugural address, the President stated that he had a mandate from the people to seek an end to
social evils such as poverty and poor housing.

mandatory

obligatory
These instructions are mandatory; any violation will be severely punished.

mangy

shabby; wretched
We finally thew out the mangy rug that the dog had destroyed.

maniacal

raving mad
His maniacal laughter frightened us.

manifestation

outward demonstration; indication
Mozart's early attraction to the harsichord was the first manifestation of his pronounced musical bent.

manifesto

declaration; statement of policy
The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principles of modern communism.

manifest

understandable; clear
His evil intentions were manifest and yet we could not stop him.

manifold

numerous; varied
I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your manifold kindnesses.

manipulate

operate with the hands; control or change by artful means
How do you manipulate these puppets?

mannered

affected; not natural
Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a mannered, artificial way of
speech.

manumit

emancipate; free from bondage
Enlightened slave owners were willing to manumit their slaves and thus put an end to the evil slavery in the
country.

marital

pertaining to marriage
After the publication of his book on marital affairs, he was often consulted by married people on the verge
of divorce.

maritime

bordering on the sea; nautical
The maritime Provinces depend on the sea for their wealth.

marked

noticeable; targeted for vengeance
He walked with a marked limp, a souvenir of an old IRA attack. As British ambassador, he knew he was a
marked man.

marred

damaged; disfigured
She had to refinish the marred surface of the table.

marshal

put in order
At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or two to marshal their thoughts
before addressing their audience.

marsupial

one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch
The most common marsupial in North America is the opposum.

martial

warlike
The sound of marital music was always inspiring to the young poet.

martinet

strict disciplinarian
The commanding officer was a martinet who observed each regulation to the ltter.

martrix

point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die
Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the matrix of the Western civilization.

masochist

person who enjoys his own pain
The masochist begs, "Hit me." The sadist smiles and says, "I won't."

masticate

chew
We must masticate our food carefully and slowly in order to avoid digestive disorders.

materialism

preoccupation with physical comforts and things
By its nature, materialism is opposed to idealism, for where the materialist emphasizes the needs of the
body, the idealist emphasizes the needs of the soul.

maternal

motherly Many animals display maternal instincts only while their offspring are young and helpless.

matriarch

woman who rules a family or larger social group
The matriarch ruled her gypsy tribe with a firm hand.

maudlin

effusively sentimental
I do not like such maudlin pictures. I call them tearjerkers.

maul

handle roughly
The rock star was mauled by his overexcited fans.

mausoleum

monumental tomb
His body was placed in the family mausolem.

mauve

pale purple
The mauve tint in the lilac bush was another indication that spring had finally arrived.

maverick

rebel; nonconformist
To the masculine literary establishment, George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking
cigars was clearly a maverick who fought her proper womanly role.

mawkish

sickening; insipid
Your mawkish sighs fill me with disgust.

maxim

proverb; a truth pithily stated
Aesop's fables illustrate moral maxims.

mayhem

injury to the body
The riot was marked not only by mayhem, with its attendant loss of life and limb, but also by arson and
pillage.

meager

scanty; inadequate
His salary was far too meager for him to afford to buy a new car.

mealymouthed

indirect speech; hypocritical; evasive
Rather than tell Jill directly what he disliked, Jack made a few mealymouthed comments and tried to change
the subject.

meander

to wind or turn in its course
It is difficult to sail up this stream because of the way it meanders through the countryside.

meddlesome

interfering
He felt his marriage was suffering because of his meddlesome mother-in-law.

mediate

settle a dispute through the services of an outsider
Let us mediate out differences rather than engage in a costly strike.

mediocre

ordinary; commonplace
We were disappointed because he gave a rather mediocre performance in this role.

meditation

reflection; thought
She reached her decision only after much meditation.

medley

mixture
The band played a medley of Gershwin tunes.

meek

submissive; patient and long-suffering
Mr. Barrett never expected his meek daughter would dare to defy him by eloping with her suitor.

megalomania

mania for doing grandiose things
Developers who spend millions trying to build the world's tallest skyscraper suffer from megalomania.

melee

fight
The captain tried to ascertain the cause of the melee that had broken out among the crew members.

mellifluous

flowing smoothly; smooth
Italian is a mellifluous language.

memento

token; reminder
Take this book as a memento of your visit.

memorialize

commemorate
Let us memorialize his great contribution by dedicating this library in his honor.

mendacious

lying; false
He was pathological liar, and his friends learned to discount his mendacious stories.

mendicant

beggar
From the moment we left the ship, we were surrounded by mendicants and peddlers.

menial

suitable for sevants; low
I cannot understand why a person of your ability and talent should engage in such menial activities.

mentor

counselor; teacher
During this very trying period, she could not have had a better mentor, for the teacher was sympathetic
and understanding.

mercantile

concerning trade
I am more interested in the opportunites available in the mercantile field than I am in those in the legal
profession.

mercenary

motivated solely by money or gain
"I'm not in this war because I get my kicks waving flags," said the mercenary soldier. "I'm in it for the
dough."

mercurial

fickle; changing
He was of a mercurial temperament and therefore unpredictable.

meretricious

flashy; tawdry; falsely attractive
Her jewels were inexpensive but not meretricious.

merger

combination (of two business corporations)
When the firm's president married the director of financial planning, the office joke was that it wasn't a
marriage, it was a merger.

mesmerize

hypnotize
The incessant drone seemed to mesmerize him and place him in a trance.

metallurgical

pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores
During the course of his metallurgical research, the scientist developed a steel alloy of tremendous
strength.

metamorphosis

change of form
The metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly is typical of many such changes in animal life.

metaphor

implied comparison
"He soared like an eagle" is an example of a simile; "He is an eagle in flight," is a metaphor.

metaphysical

pertaining to speculative philosophy
The modern poets have gone back to the fanciful poems of the metaphysical poets of the seventeenth
century for many of their images.

meteoric

swift; momentarily brilliant
We all wondered at his meteoric rise to fame.

mete

measure; distribute
He tried to be impartial in his efforts to mete out justice.

methodical

systematic
An accountant must be methodical and maintain order among his financial records.

meticulous

excessively careful
He was meticulous in checking his accounts and never made mistakes.

metropolis

large city
Every evening this terminal is filled with the thousands of commuters who are going from this metropolis
to their homes in the suburbs.

mettle

courage; spirit
When challenged by the other horses in the race, the thoroughbred proved its mettle by its determination
to hold the lead.

miasma

swamp gas; heavy, vaporous atmosphere, often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive
corrupting influence The smog hung over Victorian London like a dark cloud; noisome, reeking of decay, it was a visible
miasma.

microcosm

small world
In the microcosm of our rural village, we find illustrations of all the evils that beset the universe.

migrant

changing its habitat; wandering
These migrant birds return every spring.

migratory

wandering
The return of the migratory birds to the northern sections of this country is a harbinger of spring.

milieu

environment; means of expression
His milieu is watercolors, although he has produced excellent oil paintings and lithographs.

militant

combative; bellicose
Althoughat this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality, one could usually find him adopting a more
militant attitude.

militate

work against
Your record of lateness and absence will militate against your chances of promotion.

millenium

thousand-year period; period of happiness and prosperity
I do not expect the milennium to come during my lifetime.

millinery

person who makes or sells women's hats
The millinery displayed fashionable hats in the street where many women passed by.

mimicry

imitation
Her gift for mimicry was so great that her friends said that she should be in the theater.

minatory

menacing; threatening
Jabbing a minatory forefinger at Dorothy, the Wicked Witch cried, "I'll get you, and your little dog, too!"

mincing

affectedly dainty
Yum-Yum walked across the stage with mincing steps.

minion

a servile dependent
He was always accompanied by several of his minions because he enjoyed their subservience and flattery.

minuscule

extremely small
Why should I involve myself with a project with so minuscule a chance for success?

minute

extremely small
The twins resembled one another closely; only minute differences set them apart.

minutiae

petty details
She would have liked to ignore the minutiae of daily living.

mirage

unreal reflection; optical illusion
The lost prospector was fooled by a mirage in the desert.

mire

entangle; stick in swampy ground
Their rear wheels became mired in mud.

mirth

merriment; laughter
Sober Malvolio found Sir Toby's mirth improper.

misadventure

mischance; ill luck
The young explorer met death by misadventure.

misanthrope

one who hates mankind
We thought the hermit was a miantrope because he shunned our society.

misapprehension

error; misunderstanding
To avoid msapprehension, I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given.

miscellany

mixture of writings on various subjects
This is an interesting miscellany of nineteenth-century prose and poetry.

mischance

ill luck
By mischance, he lost his week's salary.

misconstrue

interpret incorrectly; misjudge
She took the passage seriously rather than humourously because she misconstrued the author's ironic tone.

miscreant

wretch; villain
His kindness to the miscreant amazed all of us who had expected to hear severe punishment pronounced.

misdemeanor

minor crime
The culprit pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor rather than face trial for a felony.

miserly

stingy; mean
The miserly old man hoarded his coins not out of prudence but out of greed.

misgivings

doubts
Hamlet described his misgivings to Horatio but decided to fence with Laertes despite his foreboding of
evil.

mishap

accident
With a little care you could have avoided this mishap.

misnomer

wrong name; incorrect designation
His tyrannical conduct proved to all that his nickname, King Eric the Just, was a misnomer.

misogamy

hatred of marriage
He remained a bachelor not because of misogamy but because of ill fate: his fiancee died before the
wedding.

misogynist

hater of women
She accused him of being a misogynist because he had been a bachelor all his life.

missile

object to be thrown or projected
Scientists are experimenting with guided missiles.

missive

letter
The ambassador received a missive from the Secretary of State.

mite

very small object or creature; small coin
Gnats are annoying mites that sing.

mitigate

appease
Nothing he did could mitigate her wrath; she was unforgiving.

mnemonic

pertaining to memory
He used mnemonic tricks to master new words.

mobile

movable; not fixed
The mobile blood bank operated by the Red Cross visited our neighborhood today.

mode

prevailing style
She was not used to their lavish mode of living.

modicum

limited quantity
Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious.

modish

fashionable
She always discarded all garments that were no longer modish.

modulation

toning down; changing from one key to another
When we she spoke, it was with quiet modulation of voice.

mogul

powerful person
The oil moguls made great profits when the price of gasoline rose.

molecule

the smallest particle (one or more atoms) of a substance that has all the properties of that
substance
In chemistry, we study how atoms and molcules react to form new substances.

mollify

soothe
We tried to mollify the hysterical child by promising her many gifts.

mollycoddle

pamper; indulge excessively
Don't mollycoddle the boy, Maud! You'll spoil him.

molten

melted
The city of Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic ash rather than by molten lava flowing from Mount Vesuvius.

molt

shed or cast off hair or feathers
The male robin molted in the spring.

momentous

very important
On this momentous occasion, we must be very solemn.

momentum

quantity of motion of a moving body; impetus
The car lost momentum as it tried to ascend the steep hill.

monarchy

government under a single hereditary ruler with varying degrees of power
England today remains a monarchy.

monastic

related to monks
Wanting to live a religious life, he took his monastic vows.

monetary

pertaining to money
Jane held the family purse strings: she made all monetary decisions affecting the household.

monochromatic

having only one color
Most people who are color blind actually can distinguish several colors; some, however, have a truly
monochromatic view of a world all in shades of gray.

monolithic

solidly uniform; unyielding
Knowing the importance of appearing resolute, the patriots sought to present a monolithic front.

monotheism

belief in one God
Abraham was the first to proclaim his belief in monotheism.

monotony

sameness leading to boredom
He took a clerical job, but soon grew to hate the monotony of his daily routine.

monumental

massive
Writing a dictionary is a monumental task.

moodiness

fits of depression or gloom
We could not discover the cause of her recurrent moodiness.

moratorium

legal delay of payment
If we declare a moratorium and delay collection of debts for six months, I am sure the farmers will be able
to meet their bills.

morbid

given to unwholesome thought; gloomy
These morbid speculations are dangerous; we must lighten our spirits by emphasizing more pleasant
matters.

mordant

biting; sarcastic; stinging
Actors feared the critic's mordant pen.

mores

customs
The mores of Mexico are those of Spain with some modifications.

moribund

at the point of death
The doctors called the family to the bedside of the moribund patient.

morose

ill-humored; sullen
When we first meet Hamlet, we find him morose and depressed.

mortician

undertaker
The mortician prepared the corpse for burial.

mortify

humiliate; punish the flesh
She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room in tears.

mosaic

picture made of smell, colorful inlaid tiles
The mayor compared the ciry to a beautiful mosaic made up of people of every race and religion on earth.

mote

small speck
The tiniest mote in the eye is very painful.

motif

theme
This simple motif runs throughout the score.

motility

ability to move spontaneously
Certain organisms exhibit remarkable motility; motile spores, for example, may travel for miles before
coming to rest.

motley

parti-colored; mixed
The captain had gathered a motley crew to sail the vessel.

mottled

spotted
When he blushed, his face took on a mottled hue.

mountebank

charlatan; boastful pretender
The patent medicine man was a mountebank.

muddle

confuse; mix up
His thoughts were muddled and chaotic.

muggy

warm and damp
August in New York City is often muggy.

mulct

defraud a person of something
The lawyer was accused of trying to mulct the boy of his legacy.

multifarious

varied; greatly diversified
A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.

multiform

having many forms
Snowflakes are multiform but always hexagonal.

multilingual

having many languages
Because they are bordered by so many countries, the Swiss people are multilingual.

multiplicity

state of being numerous
He was appalled by the multuplicity of details he had to complete before setting out on his mission.

mundane

worldly as opposed to spiritual
He was concerned only with mundane matters, especially the daily stock market quotations.

munificent

very generous
The munificent gift was presented to the bride by her rich uncle.

murkiness

darkness; gloom
The murkiness and fog of the waterfront that evening depressed me.

muse

ponder
For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene, but his thought soon changed as he recalled his
own personal problems.

musky

having the odor of musk
She left a trace of musky perfume behind her.

muster

gather; assemble
Washington mustered his forces at Trenton.

musty

stale; spoiled by age
The attic was dark and musty.

mutable

changing in form; fickle
His opinion were mutable and easily influenced by anyone who had any powers of persuasion.

muted

silent; muffled; toned down
In the funeral parlor, the mourners' voices had a muted quality.

mutilate

maim
The torturer threatened to mutilate his victim.

mutinous

unruly; rebellious
The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous crew.

mutter

murmur or grumble
The child muttered at the doll.

myopic

nearsighted
In thinking only of your present needs and ignoring the future, you are being rather myopic.

myriad

very large number
myriads of mosquitoes from the swamps invaded our village every twilight.

nadir

lowest point
Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had reached their nadir and would soon begin an
upward surge.

naivete

quality of being unsophisticated
I cannot believe that such naivete is unassumed in a person of her age and experience.

narcissist

conceited person
A narcissist is his own best friend.

narrative

related to telling a story
A born teller of tales, Olsen used her impressive narrative skills to advantage in her story "I Stand Here
Ironing."

nascent

incipient; coming into being
If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their nascent state, we would be able to eliminate
serious trouble in later years.

natation

swimming
The Red Cross emphasizes the need for courses in natation.

natty

neatly or smartly dresssed
Priding himself on being a natty dresser, the gangster Bugsy Siegel collected a wardrobe of imported suits
and ties.

nauseate

cause to become sick; fill with disgust
The foul smells began to nauseate him.

nautical

pertaining to ships or navigation
The Maritime Museum contains many models of clipper ships, logbooks, anchors and many other items of
a nautical nature.

nebulous

vague; hazy; cloudy
She had only a nebulous memory of her grandmother's face.

necromancy

black magic; dealings with the dead
Because he was able to perform feats of necromancy, the natives thought he was in league with the devil.

nefarious

very wicked
He was universally feared because of his many nefarious deeds.

negation

denial
I must accept his argument since you have been unable to present any negation of his evidence.

negligence

carelessness
negligence can prove costly near complicated machinery.

negligible

so small, trifling, or unimportant as to be easily disregarded
Because the damage to his car had been negligible, Michael decided he wouldn't bother to report the
matter to his insurance company.

nemesis

revenging agent
Captain Bligh vowed to be Christian's nemesis.

neologism

new or newly coined word or phrase
As we invent new techniques and professions, we must also invent neologisms such as "microcomputer"
and "astronaut" to describe them.

neophyte

recent convert; beginner
This monuntain slope contains slides that will challenge esperts as well as neophytes.

nepotism

favoritism (to a relative)
John left his position with the company because he felt that advancement was based on nepotism rather
than ability.

nether

lower
Tradition locates hell in the nether regions.

nettle

annoy; vex
Do not let him nettle you with his sarcastic remarks.

nexus

connection
I fail to see the nexus that binds these two widely separated events.

nib

beak; pen point
The nibs of fountain pens often become clotted and corroded.

nicety

precision; minute distinction
I cannot distinguish between such niceties of reasoning.

niggardly

meanly stingy; parsimonious
The niggardly pittance the widow receives from the government cannot keep her from poverty.

niggle

spend too much time on minor points; carp
Let's not niggle over details.

nihilism

denial of traditional values; total skepticism
nihilism holds that existence has no meaning.

nirvana

Buddihist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of an
impersonal beatitude
Despite his desire to achieve nirvana, the young Buddhist found that even the buzzing of a fly could
distract him from his meditation.

nocturnal

done at night
Mr. Jones obtained a watchdog to prevent the nocturnal raids on his chicken coops.

noisome

foul smelling; unwholesome
I never could stand the noisome atmosphere surrounding the slaughter houses.

nomadic

wandering
Several nomadic tribes of Indians would hunt in this area each year.

nomenclature

terminology; system of names
She struggled to master scientific nomenclature.

nominal

in name only; trifling
He offered to drive her to the airport for only a nominal fee.

nonchalance

indifference; lack of interest
Few people could understand how he could listen to the news of the tragedy with such nonchalance; the
mahority regarded him as callous and unsympathetic.

noncommittal

neutral; unpledged; undecided
We were annoyed by his noncommittal reply for we had been led to expect definite assurances of his
approval.

nondescript

undistinctive; ordinary
The private detective was a short, nondescript fellow with no ourstanding features, the sort of person one
would never notice in a crowd.

nonentity

person of no importance; nonexistence
Don't dismiss John as a nonentity; in his quiet way, he's very important to the firm.

nonplus

bring to a halt by confusion; perplex
Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness nonplussed Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react.

nostalgia

homesickness; longing for the past
The first settlers found so much work to do that they had little time for nostalgia.

nostrum

questionable medicine
No quack selling nostrums is going to cheat me.

notoriety

disrepute; ill fame
To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn't have a good reputation, she'd settle for
notoriety.

novelty

something new; newness The computer is no longer a novelty around the office.

novice

beginner
Even a novice can do good work if he follows these simple directions.

noxious

harmful
We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.

nuance

shade of difference in meaning or color
The unskilled eye of the layperson has difficulty in dicerning the nuances of color in the paintings.

nubile

marrigeable
Mrs. Bennet, in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, was worried about finding suitable husbands for her
five nubile daughters.

nugatory

futile; worthless
This agreement is nugatory for no court will enforce it.

nullify

to make invalid
Once the contract was nullified, it no longer had any legal force.

numismatist

person who collects coins
The numismatist had a splendid collection of antique coins.

nuptial

related to marriage
Their nuptial ceremony was performed in Golden Gate Park.

nurture

nourish; educate; foster
The head Start program attempts to nurture prekindergarten children so that they will do well when they
enter public school.

nutrient

nourishing substance
As a budding nutritionist, Kim has learned to design diets that contain foods rich in important basic
nutrients.

oaf

stupid, awkward person
He called the unfortunate waiter a clumsy oaf.

obdurate

stubborn
He was obdurate in his refusal to listen to our complaints.

obeisance

bow
She made an obeisance as the king and queen entered the room.

obelisk

tall column tapering and ending in a pyramid
Cleopatra's Needle is an obelisk in New York City's Central Park.

obese

excessively fat
It is advisable that obese people try to lose weight.

obfuscate

confuse; muddle
Do not obfuscate the issues by dragging in irrelevant arguments.

obituary

dealth notice
I first learned of her death when I read the obituary in the newspaper.

objective

goal; aim
A degree in medicine was her ultimate objective.

objective

not influenced by emotions; fair
Even though he was her son, she tried to be objective about his behavior.

obligatory

binding; required
It is obligatory that books borrowed from the library be returned within two weeks.

oblique

slanting; deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight line
The sergeant ordered the men to march "oblique right."

obliterate

destroy completely
The tidal wave obliterated several island villages.

oblivion

forgetfulness
Her work had fallen into a state of oblivion; no one bothered to read them.

obloquy

slander; disgrace; infamy
I resent the obloquy that you are casting upon my reputation.

obnoxious

offensive
I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.

obscure

dark; vague; unclear
Even after I read the poem a fourth time, its meaning was still obscure.

obscure

darken; make unclear
At times he seemed purposely to obscure his meaning, preferring mystery to clarity.

obsequious

slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic
Helen valued people who behaved as if they respected themselves; nothing irritated her more than an
excessively obsequious waiter or a fawning salesclerk.

obsequy

funeral ceremony
Hundreads paid their last respects at his obsequies.

obsession

fixed idea; continued brooding
This obsession with the supernatural has made him unpopular with his neighbors.

obsidian

clak volcanic rock
The deposits of obsidian on the mountain slopes were an indiacation that volcano had erupted in ancient
times.

obsolete

outmoded
"Hip" is an obsolete expression; it went out with love beads and tie-dye shirts.

obstetrician

physician specializing in delivery of babies
Unlike midwives, who care for women giving birth at home, obstetricians generally work in a hospital
setting.

obstinate

stubborn
We tried to persuade him to give up smoking, but he was obstinate and refused to change.

obstreperous

boisterous; noisy
The crowd became obstreperous and shouted their disapproval of the proposals made by the speaker.

obtrusive

pushing forward
I found her a very obstrusive person, constantly seeking the center of the stage.

obtuse

blunt; stupid
Because he was so obtuse, he could not follow the teacher's reasoning and asked foolish questions.

obviate

make unnecessary; get rid of
I hope this contribution will obviate any need for further collections of funds.

occident

the West
It will take occident to understand the ways and customs of the orient.

occlude

shut; close
A blood clot occluded an artery to the heart.

occult

mysterious; secret; supernatural
The occult rites of the organization were revealed only to members.

oculist

physician who specialized in treatment of the eyes
In many states, an oculist is the only one who may apply medicinal drops to the eyes for the purpose of
examining them.

odious

hateful
I find the task of punishing you most odious.

odium

repugnance; dislike
I cannot express the odium I feel at your heinous actions.

odoriferous

giving off an odor The odoriferous spices stimulated her jaded appetite.

odorous

having an odor
This variety of hybrid tea rose is more odorous than the one you have in your garden.

odyssey

long, evenful journey
The refugee's journey from Cambodia was a terrifying odyssey.

offensive

attacking; insulting; distasteful
Getting into street brawls is no minor offense for professional boxers, who are required by law to restrict
their offensive impulses to the ring.

offhand

casual; done without prior thought
Expecting to be treated with due propriety by her costs, Great-Aunt Maud was offended by their offhand
manner.

officious

meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services
After her long flight, Jill just wanted to nap, but the officious bellboy was intent on showing her all the
special features of the deluxe suite.

ogle

glance coquettishly at; make eyes at
Sitting for hours at the sidewalk cafe, the old gentleman would oggle the young girls and recall his youthful
romances.

olfactory

concerning the sense of smell
The olfactory organ is the nose.

oligarchy

government by a few
The feudal oligarchy was supplanted by an autocracy.

ominous

threatening
Those clouds are ominous; they suggest that a severe storm is on the way.

omnipotent

all-powerful
The monarch regarded himself as omnipotent and responsible to no one for his acts.

omnipresent

universally present; ubiquitous
On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus is omnipotent.

omniscient

all-knowing
I do not pretend to be omniscient, but I am positive about this fact.

omnivorous

eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything
Some animals, including humans, are omnivorous and eat both meat and vegetables; others are either
carnivorous or herbivorous.

onerous

burdensome
He asked for an assistant because his work load was too onerous.

onomatopoeia

words formed in imitation of natural sounds
Words like "rustle" and "gargle" are illustrations of onomatopoeia.

onslaught

vicious assault
We suffered many casualties during unexpected onslaght of the enemy troops.

onus

burden; responsibility
The emperor was spared the onus of signing the surrender papers; instead, he relegated the assignment to
his generals.

opalescent

iridescent
The Ancient Mariner admired the opalescent sheen on the water.

opaque

dark; not transparent
The opaque window kept the sunlight out of the room.

opiate

sleep producer; deadener of pain
By such opiates, she made the people forget their difficulties and accept their unpleasant circumstances.

opportune

timely; well chosen
You have come at an opportune moment for I need a new secretary.

opportunist

individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances
Forget about ethics! He's such an opportunist that he'll vote in favor of any deal that will give him a break.

opprobrium

infamy; vilification
He refused to defend himself against the slander and opprobrium hurled against him by the newspapers; he
preferred to rely on his record.

optician

maker and seller of eyeglasses
The patient took the prescription given him by his oculist to the optician.

optimist

person who looks on the bright side
The pessimist says the glass is half-empty; the optimist says it is half-full.

optimum

most favorable
If you wait for the optimum moment to act, you may never begin your project .

optional

not compulsory; left to one's choice
I was impressed by the range of optional accessories for my microcomputer that were available.

optometrist

one who fits glasses to remedy visual defects
Although an optometrist is qualified to treat many eye disorders, she may not use medicinesor surgery in
her examinations.

opulence

extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance
The glitter and opulence of the ballroom took Cinderella's breath away.

opus

work Although many critics hailed his Fifth Symphony, he did not regard it as his major opus.

oracular

foretelling; mysterious
Oedipus could not understand the oracular warning he received.

oratorio

dramatic poem set to music
The Glee Club decided to present an oratorio during their recital.

ordain

command; arrange; consecrate
The king ordained that no foreigner should be allowed to enter the city.

ordeal

severe trial or affliction
Terry Anderson spoke movingly of his long ordeal as a hostage in Lebanon.

ordinance

decree
Passing a red light is a violation of a city ordinance.

ordination

ceremony conferring holy orders
The candidate for ordination had to meet with the bishop and the diocean officers before being judged
ready to be ordained a deacon.

orientation

act of finding oneself in society
Freshman orientation provides the incoming students with an opportunity to learn about their new
environment and their place in it.

orient

get one's bearings; adjust
Philip spent his first day in Denver orienting himself to the city.

orifice

mouthlike opening; small opening
The Howe Caverns were discovered when someone observed that a cold wind was issuing from an orifice
in the hillside.

ornate

excessively or elaborately decorated
Furniture of the Baroque period can be recognized by its ornate carvings.

ornithologist

scientific student of birds
Auduborn's drawings of American bird life have been of interest not only to the ornithologists but also to
the general public.

orthodox

traditional; conservative in belief
Faced with a problem, he preferred to take an orthodox approach rather than shock anyone.

orthography

correct spelling
Many of us find English orthography difficult to master because so many of our words are written
phonetically.

oscillate

vibrate pendulumlike; waver
It is interesting to note how public opinion oscillates between the extremes of optimism and pessimism.

osseus

made of bone; bony
The hollow "soft spot" found at the top of the infant's skull gradually closes as new osseus tissue fills in the
gap.

ossify

change or harden into bone
When he called his opponent a "bonehead," he implied that his adversary's brain had ossified and that he
was not capable of clear thinking.

ostensible

apparent; professed; pretended
Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in
finding new markets for our products.

ostentatious

showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention
Trump's latest casino in Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling place in the East: it easily
outglitters its competitors.

ostracize

exclude from public favor; ban
As soon as the newspapers carried the story of his connection with the criminals, his friends began to
ostracize him.

oust

expel; drive out
The world wondered if Aquino would be able to oust Marcos from office.

outlandish

bizzare; peculiar; unconventional
The eccentric professor who engages in markedly outlandish behavior is a stock figure in novels with an
academic setting.

outmoded

no longer stylish; old-fahioned
Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear outmoded clothes as long as they
were clean and unfrayed.

outrtip

surpass; outdo
Jesse Owens easily outstripped his competitors to win the gold metal at the Olympic Games.

outskirts

fringes; outer borders
Living outskirts of Boston, Sarah sometimes felt as if she were cut off from the cultural heart of the city.

outspoken

candid; blunt
The candidate was too outspoken to be a successful politician; he had not yet learned to weigh his words
carefully.

outwit

outsmart; trick
By disguising himself as an old woman, Holmes was able to outwit his pursuers and escape capture.

ovation

enthusiastic applause
When Placido Domingo came on stage in the first act of La Boheme, he was greeted by a tremendous
ovation.

overbearing

bossy; arrogant; decisively important Certain of her own importance and of the unimportance of everyone else, Lady Bracknell was intolerably
overbearing in manner. "In choosing a husband," she said, "good birth is of overbearing importance;
compared to that, neither wealth nor talent signifie

overhaul

thoroughly examine the condition of and repair if necessary
It is necessary for the engineers of NASA to overhaul the rocket everyday; otherwise, an incident similar to
that of Challenger accident might happen.

overt

open to view
According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he may be tried for
treason.

overweening

presumptuous; arrogant
His overweening pride in his accomplishments was not justified.

overwrought

extremely agitated; hysterical
When Kate heard the news of the sudden tragedy, she became too overwrought to work and had to leave
the office early.

ovoid

egg-shaped
At Easter she had to cut out hundreds of brightly colored ovoid shapes.

pachyderm

thick-skinned animal
The elephant is probably the best-known pachyderm.

pacifist

one opposed to force; antimilitarist
The pacifists urged that we reduce our military budget and recall our troops stationed overseas.

pacify

soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue
Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy children sweets to pacify them.

paean

song of praise or joy
paeans celebrating the victory filled the air.

painstaking

showing hard work; taking great care
The new high-frequency word list is the result of painstaking efforts on the part of our research staff.

palatable

agreeable; pleasing to the taste
Neither Jack's underbaked opinions nor his overcooked casseroles were palatable to me.

palatial

magnificent
He proudly showed us through his palatial home.

paleontology

study of prehistoric life The professor of paleontology had a superb collection of fossils.

palette

board on which a painter mixes pigments
At the present time, art supply stores are selling a paper palette that may be discarded after use.

palimpsest

parchment used for second time after original writing has been erased
Using chemical reagents, scientists have been able to restore the original writings on many palimpsests.

pallet

small, poor bed
The weary traveler went to sleep on his straw pallet.

palliate

ease pain; make less severe or offensive
If we cannot cure this disease at present, we can, at least try to palliate the symptoms.

pallid

pale; wan
Because his occupation required that he work at night and sleep during the day, he had an exceptionally
pallid complexion.

pall

grow tiresome
The study of word lists can eventually pall and put one to sleep.

palpable

tangible; easily perceptible
I cannot understand how you could overlook such a palpable blunder.

palpitate

throb; flutter
As he became excited, his heart began to palpitate more and more erratically.

paltry

insignificant; petty
This is a paltry sum to pay for such a masterpiece.

panacea

cure-all; remedy for all diseases
There is no easy panacea that will solve our complicated international situation.

panache

flair; flamboyance
Many performers imitate Noel Coward, but few have his panache and sense of style.

pandemic

widespread; affecting the majority of people
They feared the AIDS epidemic would soon reach pandemic proportions.

pandemonium

wild tumult
When the ships collided in the harbor, pandemonium broke out among the passengers.

pander

cater to the low desires of others
The reviewer accused the makers of Lethal Weapon of pandering to the masses' taste of violence.

panegyric

formal praise
The modest hero blushed to hear the speakers delivering panegyrics about his valorous act.

panoramic

denoting an unobstructed and comprehensive view
On a clear day, from the top of the World Trade Center you can get a panoramic view of New York City
and neighboring stretches of New Jersey and Long Island.

pantomime

acting without dialogue
Because he worked in pantomime, the clown could be understood wherever he appeared.

pan

criticize harshly
Hoping for a rave review of his new show, the playwright was miserable when the critics panned it
unanimously.

papyrus

ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant
The ancient Egyptians were among the first to write on papyrus.

parable

short, simple story teaching a moral
Let us apply to our own conduct the lesson that this parable teaches.

paradigm

model; example; pattern
Pavlov's experiment in which he trains a dog to salivate on hearing a bell is a paradigm of the conditioned-
response experiment in behavioal psychology.

paradox

statement that looks false but is actually correct; a contradictory statement
Wordworth's "The child is father to the man" is an example of paradox.

paragon

model of perfection
The class disliked him because the teacher was always pointing him out as a paragon of virtue.

parallelism

state of being parallel; similarity
There is a striking parallelism between the twins.

parameter

limit; independent variable
We need to define the parameters of the problem.

paramount

foremost in importance; supreme
Proper nutrition and hygiene are of paramount importance in adolescent development and growth.

paramour

illicit lover
She sought a divorce on the grounds that her husband had a paramour in another town.

paranoia

psychosis marked by delusions of grandeur or persecution
Suffering from paranois, he claimed everyone was out to get him; ironically, his claim was accurate; even
paranoids have enemies.

paraphernalia

equipment; odds and ends
His desk was cluttered with paper, pen, ink, dictionary and other paraphernalia of the writing craft.

paraphrase

restate a passage in one's own words while retaining thought of author
In 250 words or less, paraphrase this article.

parasite

animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant The tapeworm is an example of the kind of parasite that may infest the human body.

parched

extremely dry; very thirsty
The parched desert landscape seemed hostile to life.

pariah

social outcast
I am not a pariah to be shunned and ostracized.

parity

equality; close resemblance
I find your analogy inaccurate because I do not see the parity between the two illustrations.

parlance

language; idiom
All this legal parlance confuses me; I need an interpreter.

parley

conference
The peace parley has not produced the anticipated truce.

parochial

narrow in outlook; provincial; related to parishes
Although Jane Austen writes novels set in small rural communities, her concerns are universal, not
parochial.

parody

humorous imitation; travesty
We enjoyed the clever parodies of popular songs that the chorus sang.

paroxysm

fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage
When he heared of his son's misdeeds, he was seized by a paroxysm of rage.

parquet

floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosic-like pattern.
In laying the floor, the carpenters combined redwood and oak in an elegant parquet.

parry

ward off a blow
He was content to wage a defensive battle and tried to parry his opponent's thrusts.

parsimonious

stingy; excessively frugal
His parsimonious nature did not permit him to enjoy any luxuries.

partiality

inclination; bias
As a judge, not only must I be unbiased, but I must also avoid any evidence of partiality when I award the
prize.

partial

biased; having a liking for something
I am extremely partial to chocolate eclairs.

partial

incomplete
In this issue we have published only a partial list of contributors because we lack space to acknowledge
everyone.

partisan

one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party
On certain issues of conscience, she refused to take a partisan stand.

passe

old-fashioned; past the prime
Her style is passe and reminiscent of the Victorian era.

passive

not active; acted upon
Mahatma Gandhi urged his followers to pursue a program of passive resistance as he felt that it was more
effective than violence and acts of terrorism.

pastiche

imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing
We cannot even say that her music is a pastiche of this or that composer; it is rather, reminiscent of many
musicians.

pastoral

rural
In these stories of pastoral life, we find an understanding of the daily tasks of country folk.

patent

open for the public to read; obvious
It was patent to everyone that the witness spoke the truth.

pathetic

causing sadness, compassion, pity; touching
Everyone in the auditorium was weeping by the time he finished his pathetic tale about the orphaned boy.

pathological

pertaining to disease
As we study the pathological aspects of this disease, we must not overlook the psychological elements.

pathos

tender to sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings.
The quiet tone of pathos that ran through the novel never degenerated into the maudlin or the overly
sentimental.

patina

green crust on old bronze works; tone slowly taken by varnished painting
Judging by the patina on this bronze statue, we can conclude that this is the work of a medieval artist.

patois

local or provincial dialect
His years of study of the language at the university did not enable him to understand the patois of the
natives.

patriarch

father and ruler of a family or tribe
In many primitive tribes, the leader and lawmaker was the patriarch.

patrician

noble; aristocratic
We greatly admired her well-bred, patrician elegance

patronize

support; act superior toward
Experts in a field sometimes appear to patronize people who are less knowledgeable of the subject.

paucity

scarcity
They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it uneconomical to operate.

pauper

very poor person
Though Widow Brown was living on a reduced income, she was by no means a pauper.

peccadillo

slight offense
If we examine these escapades carefully, we will realize that they are mere peccadilloes rather than major
crimes.

pecuniary

pertaining to money
I never expected a pecuniary reward for my work in this activity.

pedagogue

teacher
He could never be a stuffy pedagogue; his classes were always lively and filled with humor.

pedagogy

teaching; art of education
Though Maria Montessori gained fame for her innovations in pedagogy, it took years before her teaching
techniques became common practice in American schools.

pedantic

showing off learning; bookish
Leaving his decisions with humorous, down-to-earth anecdotes, Judge Walker was not at all pedantic legal
scholar.

pedant

scholar who overemphasizes book learning or technicalities
Her insistence that the book be memorized marked the teacher as a pedant rather than a scholar.

pedestrian

ordinary; unimaginative
Unintentionally boring, he wrote page after page of pedestrian prose.

pediatrician

physician specializing in children's diseases.
The family doctor advised the parents to consult a pediatrician about their child's ailment.

pejorative

negative in connotation; having a belittling effect.
Instead of criticizing Clinton's policies, the Republicans made pejorative remarks about his character.

pellmell

in confusion; disorderly
The excited students dashed pellmell into the stadium to celebrate the victory.

pellucid

transparent; limpid; easy to understand
After reading these stodgy philosophers, I find his pellucid style very enjoyable.

penance

self-imposed punishment for sin
The Ancient Mariner said, "I have penance done and penance more will do," to atone for the sin of killing
the albatross.

penchant

strong inclination; liking
He had a strong penchant for sculpture and owned many statues.

pendant

hanging down from something
Her pendant earrings glistened in the light.

pendant

ornament (hanging from a necklace, etc.)
The grateful team presented the coach with a silver chain and pendant engraved with the school's motto.

pendulous

hanging; suspended
The pendulous chandeliers swayed in the breeze as if they were about to fall from the ceiling.

penitent

repentant
When he realized the enormity of his crime, he became remorseful and penitent.

pensive

dreamily thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness
The pensive youth gazed at the painting for a long time and then sighed.

penumbra

partial shadow (in an eclipse)
During an eclipse, we can see an area of total darkness and a lighter area, which is the penumbra.

penurious

stingy; parsimonious
He was a penurious man, averse to spending money even for the necessities of life.

penury

extreme poverty
When his pension fund failed, George feared he would end his days in penury.

peon

landless agricultural worker; bond servant
The land reformers sought to liberate the peons and establish them as independent farmers.

perceptive

insightful; aware; wise
Although Maud was a generally perceptive critic, she had her blind sports: she could never see flaws in the
work of her friends.

percussion

striking one object against another sharply
The drum is a percussion instrument.

perdition

damnation; complete ruin
Praying for salvation, young Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal perdition.

peregrination

journey
Auntie Mame was a world traveler whose peregrinations took her from Tiajuana to Timbuctoo.

peremptory

demanding and leaving no choice
From Jack's peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in.

perennial

something long-lasting
Tese plants are hardy perennials and will bloom for many years.

perforate

pierce; put a hole through
Before you can open the aspirin bottle, you must first perforate the plastic safety seal that covers the cap.

perfunctory

superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm
The auditor's perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors.

perifidious

treacherous; disloyal
When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his perfidious friend.

perigee

point of moon's orbit when it is nearest the earth
The rocket which was designed to take photographs of the moon was launched as the moon approached
its perigee.

perimeter

outer boundary
To find the perimeter of any quadrilateral, we add the lengths of the four sides.

peripatetic

walking about; moving
The peripatetic school of philosophy derives its name from the fact that Aristotle walked with his pupils
while discussing philosophy with them.

peripheral

marginal; outer
We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of
the great city.

periphery

edge, especially of a round surface
He sensed that there was something just beyond the periphery of his vision.

perjury

false testimony while under oath
When several witnesses appeared to challenge his story, he was indicted for perjury.

permeable

porous; allowing passage through
Glass is permeable to light.

pernicious

very destructive, harmful
He argued that these books had a pernicious effect on young and susceptible minds.

peroration

conclusion of an oration
The peroration was largely hortatory and brought the audience to its feet clamoring for action at its close.

perpetrate

commit an offense
Only an insane person could perpetrate such a horrible crime.

perpetual

everlasting
Ponce de Leon hoped to find perpetual youth.

perquisite

any gain above stipulated salary
The perquisites attached to this job make it even more attractive than the salary indicates.

personable

attractive
The man I am seeking to fill this position must be personable since he will be representing us before the
public.

perspicacious

having insight; penetrating; astute
The brillant lawyer was known for his perspicacious deductions.

perspicuity

clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity
One of the outstanding features of this book is the perspicuity of its author; her meaning is always clear.

perspicuous

plainly expressed
Her perspicuous comments eliminated all posibility of misinterpretation.

pertinacious

stubborn; persistent
He is bound to succeed because his pertinacious nature will not permit him to quit.

pertinent

suitable; to the point
The lawyer wanted to know all the pertinent details.

perturb

disturb greatly
I am afraid this news will perturb him and cause him grief.

pert

impertinent; forward
I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an apology.

perusal

reading
I am certain that you have missed important details in your rapid perusal of this document.

pervasive

spread throughout
Despite airing them for several hours, she could not rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothbals that
clung to them.

perverse

stubbornly wrongheaded; wicked and unacceptable
When Hannibal Lecter was in a perverse mood, he ate the flesh of his victims.

perversion

corruption; turning from right to wrong
Inasmuch as he had no motive for his crimes, we could not understand his perversion.

pessimism

belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess
The good news we have been receiving lately indicates that there is little reason for your pessimism.

pestilential

causing plague; baneful
People were afraid to explore the pestilential swap.

pestle

tool for mashing or grinding substances in a hard bowl
From the way in which the elderly pharmacist pounded the drug with his pestle, young George could tell
that his employer was agitated about something.

pest

troublesome or annoying person
He was a pest; always bothering people.

petrify

turn to stone
His sudden and unexpected appearance seemed to petrify her.

petty

trivial; unimportant; very small
She had no major complaints to make about his work, only a few petty quibbles that were almost too
minor to state.

petulant

touchy; peevish
The feverish patient was petulant and restless.

pharisaical

pertaining to Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous;
hypocritical
Walter Lippmann has pointed out that moralists who do not attempt to explain the moral code they
advocate are often regarded as pharisaical and ignored.

phenomena

observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation
We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments.

philanderer

faithless lover; flirt
Swearing he had never so much as looked at another woman, Jack assured Jill he was no philanderer.

philanthropist

lover of mankind; doer of good
As he grew older, he became famous as a philanthropist and benefactor of the needy.

philatelist

stamp-collector
When she heard the value of the Penny Black stamp, Phyllis was inspired to become a philatelist.

philistine

narrow-minded person, uncultured and exculsively interested in material gain
We need more men of culture and enlightenment; we have too many philistines among us.

philology

study of language
The professor of philology advocated the use of Esperanto as an international language.

phlegmatic

calm; not easily disturbed
The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person, unexcited in the face of sudden emergencies.

phobia

morbid fear
Her fear of flying was more than mere nervousness; it was a real phobia.

physiognomy

face
He prided himself on his ability to analyze a person's character by studying his physiognomy.

physiological

pertaining to the science of the function of living organisms
To understand this disease fully, we must examine not only its physiological aspects but also its
psychological elements.

piebald

of different colors; motled; spotted
You should be able to identify Polka Dot in this race; he is the only piebald horse running.

pied

variegated; multicolored
The pied piper of Hamelin got his name from the multicolored clothing he wore.

piety

devoutness; reverence for God
Living her life in prayer and good works, Mother Teresa exemplifies the true sprit of piety.

pigment

coloring matter
Van Gogh mixed various pigments with linseed oil to create his paints.

pillage

plunder The enemy pillaged the quiet village and left it in ruins.

pillory

punish by placing in a wooden frame; subject to criticism and ridicule
Even though he was mocked and pilloried, he maintained that he was correct in his beliefs.

pine

languish, decline; long for, yearn
Though she tried to be happy living with Clara in the city, Heidi pined for the mountains and for her gruff
but loving grandfather.

pinion

restrain
They pinioned his arms against his body but left his legs free so that he could move about.

pinnacle

peak
We could see the morning sunlight illuminate the pinnacle while the rest of the mountain lay in shadow.

pious

devout
The pious parents gave their children a religious upbringing.

piquant

pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating
The piquant sauce added to our enjoyment of the meal.

pique

irritation; resentment
She showed her pique by her refusal to appear with the other contestants at the end of the contest.

piscatorial

pertaining to fishing
He spent many happy hours at the lake in his piscatorial activities.

pithy

concise; meaty
I enjoy reading his essays because they are always compact and pithy.

pittance

a small allowance or wage
He could not live on the pittance he received as a pension and had to look for an additional source of
revenue.

pivotal

central; critical
De Klerk's decision to set Nelson Mandela free was pivotal; without Mandela's release, there was no
possibility that the African National Cogress would entertain talks with the South African government.

placate

pacify; conciliate
The teacher tried to placate the angry mother.

placebo

harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill
In a controlled experiment, fifty volunteers were given erythromycin tablets; the control group received
only placebos.

placid

peaceful; calm
After his vacation in this placid section, he felt soothed and rested.

plagiarize

steal another's ideas and pass them off as one's own The editor could tell that the writer had plagiarized parts of the article; he could recognize whole
paragraphs from the original source.

plaintive

mournful
The dove has a plaintive and melancholy call

plasticity

ability to be molded
When clay dries out, it loses its plasticity and becomes less malleable.

platitude

trite remark; commonplace statement
The platitudes in his speech were applauded by the vast majority in his audience; only a few people
perceived how trite his remarks were.

platonic

purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire
Accused of impropriety in his dealings with female students, the professor maintained he had only a
platonic interest in the women involved.

plauditory

approving; applauding
The theatrical company reprinted the plauditory comments of the critics in its advertisement.

plausible

having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious
Even though your argument is plausible, I still would like to have more proof.

plebeian

common; pertaining to the common people
His speeches were aimed at the plebeian minds and emotions; they disgusted the more refined.

plenary

complete; full
The union leader was given plenary power to negotiate a new contract with the employers.

plenitude

abundance; completeness
Looking in the pantry, we admired the plenitude of fruits and pickles we had preserved during the summer.

plethora

excess; overabundance
She offered a plethora of excuses for her shortcomings.

pliable

flexible; yielding; adaptable
In remodeling the bathroom, we replaced all the old, rigid lead pipes with new, pliable copper tubing.

pliant

flexible; easily influenced
Catherine's disposition was pliant; she was like putty in her suitor's hands.

pluck

courage
Even the adversaries of young Indiana Jones were impressed by the boy's pluck in trying to rescue the
archeological treasure they had stolen.

plumb

vertical
Before hanging wallpaper it is advisable to drop a plumb line from the ceiling as a guide.

plummet

fall sharply Stock prices plummeted as Wall Street reacted to the rise in interest rates.

plutocracy

society ruled by the wealthy
From the way the government caters to the rich, you might think our society is a plutocracy rather than a
democracy.

podiatrist

doctor who treats ailments of the feet
He consulted a podiatrist about his fallen arches.

podium

pedestal; raised platform
The audience applauded as the conductor made his way to the podium.

poignancy

quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion
Watching the tearful reunion of the long-separated mother and child, the social worker was touched by the
poignancy of the scene.

polarize

split into opposite extremes or camps
The abortion issue has polarized the country into pro-choice and anti-abortion camps.

polemic

controversy; argument in support of point of view
Her essays were, for the main part, polemics for the party's policy.

politic

expedient; prudent; well devised
Even though he was disappointed, he did not think it politic to refuse the offer.

polity

form of government of nation or state
Our polity should be devoted to the concept that the government should strive for the good of all citizens.

polygamist

one who has more than one spouse at a time
He was arrested as a polygamist when his two wives filed complaints about him.

polyglot

speaking several languages
New York City is a polyglot community because of the thousands of immigrants who settle there.

pomposity

self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt
Although the commencement speaker had some good things to say, we had to laugh at his pomposity and
general air of parading his own dignity.

ponderous

weighty; unwieldy
His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous.

pontifical

pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious
From the very beginning of his ministry it was clear from his pontifical pronouncements that John was
destined for a high pontifical office.

pore

study industriously; ponder; scrutinize
Determined to become a physician, Beth spends hours poring over her anatomy text.

porous

full of pores; like a sieve Dancers like to wear porous clothing because it allows the ready passage of water and air.

portend

foretell; presage
The king did not know what these omens might portend and asked his soothsayers to interpret them.

portent

sign; omen; forewarning
He regarded the black cloud as a portent of evil.

portly

stout; corpulent
The salesclerk tactfully referred to the overweight customer as portly rather than fat.

poseur

person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc., to impress others
Some thought Dali was a brillant painter; others dismissed him as a poseur.

posterity

descendants; future generations
We hope to leave a better world to posterity.

posthumous

after death (as of child born after father's death or book published after author's death)
The critics ignored his works during his lifetime; it was only after the posthumous publication of his last
novel that they recognized his great talent.

postulate

self-evident truth
We must accept these statements as postulates before pursuing our discussions any further.

posture

assume an affected pose; act artificially
No matter how much Arnold boasted or postured, I could not believe he was as important as he pretended
to be.

potable

suitable for drinking
The recent drought in the Middle Atlantic States has emphasized the need for extensive research in ways of
making sea water potable.

potentate

monarch; sovereign
The potentate spent more time at Monte Carlo than he did at home on his throne.

potential

expressing possibility; latent
The juvenile delinquent is a potential murderer.

potent

powerful; persuasive; greatly influential
The jury was swayed by the highly potent testimony of the crime's sole eyewitness.

potion

dose (of liquid)
Tristan and Lsolde drink a love potion in the first act of the opera.

potpourri

heterogeneous mixture; medley
He offered a potpourri of folk songs from many lands.

poultice

soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body
He was advised to apply a flaxseed poultice to the inflammation.

practicable

feasible
The board of directors decided that the plan was practicable and agreed to undertake the project.

practical

based on experience; useful
He was a practical man, opposed to theory

pragmatic

practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of
something
This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value of my conversational
French class.

pragmatist

practical person
No pragmatist enjoys becoming involved in a game that he can never win

prate

speak foolishly; boast idly
Let us not prate about our qualities; rather, let our virtues speak for themselves.

prattle

babble
The children prattle endlessly about their new toys.

preamble

introductory statement
In the preamble to the Constitution, the purpose of the document is set forth.

precarious

uncertain; risky
I think this stock is a precarious investment and advise against its purchase.

precedent

preceding in time, rank, etc.
Our discussions, precedent to this event, certainly did not give you any reason to believe that we would
adopt your proposal.

precedent

something preceding in time that may be used as an authority or guide for future action
This decision sets a precedent for future cases of a similar nature.

precept

practical rule guiding conduct
"Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a worthwhile precept.

precipice

cliff; dangerous position
Suddenly Indiana Jones found himself dangling from the edge of a precipice.

precipitate

headlong; rash
Do not be precipitate in this matter; investigate further.

precipitate

throw headlong; hasten
The removal of American political support appeared to have precipitated the downfall of the Marcos
regime.

precipitous

steep; overhasty
This hill is difficult to climb because it is so precipitous; one slip, and our descent will be precipitous as well.

precise

exact
If you don't give me precise directions and a map, I'll never find your place.

preclude

make impossible; eliminate
This contract does not preclude my being employed by others at the same time that I am working for you.

precocious

advanced in development
By her rather adult manner of discussing serious topics, the child demonstrated that she was precocious.

precursor

forerunner
Though Gray and Burns share many traits with the Romantic poets who followed them, most critics
consider them precursors of the Romantic Movement, not true Romantics.

predatory

plundering
The hawk is a predatory bird.

predecessor

former occupant of a post
I hope I can live up to the fine example set by my late predecessor in this office.

predilection

partiality; preference
Although the artist used various media from time to time, she had a predilection for watercolors.

preeminent

outstanding; superior
The king traveled to Boston because he wanted the preeminent surgeon in the field to perform the
operation.

preempt

head off; forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself; supplant
Hoping to preempt any attempts by the opposition to make educational reform a hot political issue, the
candidate set out her own plan to revitalize the public schools.

preen

make oneself tidy in appearance; feel self-satisfaction
As Kitty preened before the mirror, carefully smoothing her shining hair, she couldn't help preening herself
on her good looks.

prefactory

introductory
The chairman made a few prefactory remarks before he called on the first speaker.

prehensile

capable of grasping or holding
Monkeys use not only their arms and legs but also their prehensile tails in traveling through the trees.

prelate

church dignitary
The archbishop of Moscow and other high-ranking prelates visited the Russian Orthodox seminary.

prelude

introduction; forerunner
I am afraid that this border raid is the prelude to more serious attacks.

premeditate

plan in advance She had premeditated the murder for months, reading about common poisons and buying weed killer that
contained arsenic.

premise

assumption; postulate
Because Jack had based his argument upon a faulty premise, his opponent cheerfully pointed out the holes
in his logic.

premonition

forewarning
We ignored these premonitions of disaster because they appeared to be based on childish fears.

premonitory

serving to warn
You should have visited a doctor as soon as you felt these premonitory chest pains.

preponderance

superiority of power, quantity, etc.
The rebels sought to overcome the preponderance of strength of the government forces by engaging in
guerrilla tactics.

preposterous

absurd; ridiculous
When the candidate tried to downplay his youthful experiments with marijuana by saying he hadn't inhaled,
we all thought, "What a preposterous excuse!"

prerogative

privilege; unquestionable right
The President cannot levy taxes; that is the prerogative of the legislative branch of government.

presage

foretell
The vultures flying overhead presaged the discovery of the corpse in the desert.

prescience

ability to foretell the future
Given the current wave of Japan-bashing, it does not take prescience for me to foresee problems in our
future trade relations with Japan.

presentiment

premonition; foreboding
Hamlet felt a presentiment about his meeting with Laertes.

prestige

impression produced by achievements or reputation
The wealthy man sought to obtain social prestige by contributing to popular charities.

presumptous

arrogant; taking liberties
It seems presumptous for one so relatively new to the field to challenge the conclusions of its leading
experts.

pretentious

ostentatious; ambitious
I do not feel that your limited resources will permit you to carry out such a pretentious program.

preternatural

beyond that which is normal in nature
John's mother's total ability to tell when he was lying struck him as almost preternatural.

pretext

excuse
He looked for a good pretext to get out of paying a visit to his aunt.

prevail

induce; triumph over
He tried to prevail on her to type his essays for him.

prevalent

widespread; generally accepted
A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views prevalent in the
America of his day.

prevaricate

lie
Some people believe that to prevaricate in a good cause is justifiable and regard the statement as a "white
lie."

prey

target of a hunt; victim
In Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Euell Gibbons has as his prey not wild beasts but wild plants.

primogeniture

seniority by birth
By virtue of primogeniture, in some cultures the first-born child has many privileges denied his brothers
and sisters.

primordial

existing at the beginning (of time); rudimentary
The Neanderthal Man is one of our primordial ancestors.

primp

dress or groom oneself with care
She primps for hours before a dance.

prim

very precise and formal; exceedingly proper
Many people commented on the contrast between the prim attire of the young lady and the inappropriate
clothing worn by her escort.

pristine

characteristic of earlier times; primitive, unspoiled
This area has been preserved in all its pristine wildness.

privation

hardship; want
In his youth, he knew hunger and privation.

privy

secret; hidden; not public
We do not care for privy chamber of government.

probe

explore with tools
The surgeon probed the wound for foreign matter before suturing it.

probity

uprightness; incorruptibility
Everyone took his probity for granted; his defalcations, therefore, shocked us all.

problematic

perplexing; unsettled: questionable
Given the many areas of conflict still awaiting resolution, the outcome of the peace talks remains
problematic.

proclivity

inclination; natural tendency The cross old lady has a proclivity to grumble.

procrastinate

postpone; delay
It is wise not to procrastinate; otherwise, we find ourselves bogged down in a mass of work that should
have been finished long ago.

procurement

obtaining
The personnel department handles the procurement of new employees.

prodigal

wasteful; reckless with money
The prodigal son squandered his inheritance.

prodigious

enormous; marvelous
He marveled at her prodigious appetite when he saw all the food she ate.

prodigy

highly gifted child; marvel
Menuhin was a prodigy, performing wonders on his violin when he was barely eight years old.

prod

poke; stir up; urge
If you prod him hard enough, he'll eventually clean his room.

profane

violate; desecrate
Tourists are urged not to profane the sanctity of holy places by wearing improper garb.

profilgate

dissipated; wasteful; licentious
In this profilgate company, she lost all sense of decency.

profound

deep; not superficial; complete
Freud's remarkable insights into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honor him as a profound
thinker.

profusion

lavish expenditure; overabundant condition
Seldom have I seen food and drink served in such profusion as at the wedding feast.

progenitor

ancestor
The Roth family, whose progenitors emigrated from Germany early in the nineteenth century, settled in
Peru, Illinois.

progeny

children; offspring
He was proud of his progeny but regarded George as the most promising of all his children.

prognosis

forecasted course of a disease; prediction
If the doctor's prognosis is correct, the patient will be in a coma for at least twenty-four hours.

prognosticate

predict
I prognosticate disaster unless we change our wasteful ways.

prohibitive

extremely high (of prices etc.)
The super computer's price was prohibitive.

projectile

missile
Man has always hurled projectiles at his enemy whether in the form of stones or of highly explosive shells.

proletarian

member of the working class
The aristocrats feared mob rule and gave the right to vote only to the wealthy, thus depending the
proletarians of a voice in government.

proliferate

grow rapidly; spread; multiply
Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage countless get-rich-quick schemes to proliferate

prolific

abundantly fruitful
She was a prolific writer who produced as many as three books a year.

prolix

verbose; drawn out
Her prolix arguments irritated and bored the jury.

prolong

extend; draw out; lengthen
In their determination to discover ways to prolong human life, doctors fail to take into account that longer
lives are not always happier ones.

prominent

conspicuous; notable; protruding
Have you ever noticed that Prince Charles's prominent ears make him resemble the big-eared character in
Mad comics?

promiscuous

mixed indiscriminately; haphazard; irregular, particularly sexually
In the opera La Boheme, we get a picture of the promiscuous life led by the young artists of Paris.

promontory

headland
They erected a lighthouse on the promontory to warn approaching ships of their nearness to the shore.

prompt

cause; provoke; provide a cue for an actor
Whatever prompted you to ask for such a big piece of cake when you're on a diet?

promulgate

make known by official proclamation or publication
As soon as the Civil Service Commission promulgates the names of the successful candidates, we shall
begin to hire members of our staff.

prone

inclined to; prostrate
She was prone to sudden fits of anger.

propagate

multiply; spread
Since bacteria propagate more quickly in unsanitary environments, it is important to keep hospital rooms
clean.

propellant

substance that propels or drives forward
The development of our missile program has forced our scientists to seek more powerful propellants.

propensity

natural inclination
Convinced of his own talent, Sol has an unfortunate propensity to belittle the talents of others.

prophetic

having to do with predicting the future In interpreting Pharaoh's prophetic dream, Joseph said that the seven fat cows eaten by the seven lean
cows represented seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.

prophylactic

used to prevent disease
Despite all prophylactic measures introduced by the authorities, the epidemic raged until cool weather set
in.

propinquity

nearness; kinship
Their relationship could not be explained as being based on mere propinquity: they were more than
relatives; they were true friends.

propitiate

appease
The natives offered sacrifices to propitiate the gods.

propitious

favorable; kindly
I think it is advisable that we wait for a more propitious occasion to announce our plans; this is not a good
time.

proponent

person who supports or proposes (an idea)
After the bill had been amended and re-amended in committee, even its original proponents didn't want to
vote in its favor.

propound

put forth for analysis
In you discussion, you have propounded several questions; let us consider each one separately.

propriety

fitness; correct conduct
I want you to behave at this dinner with propriety; don't embarass me.

propulsive

driving forward
The jet plane has a greater propulsive power than the engine-driven plane.

prosaic

dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual
Though the ad writers had come up with a highly creative campaign to publicize the company's newest
product, the head office rejected it for a more prosaic, down-to-earth approach.

proscenium

part of stage in front of curtain
In the theater-in-the-round there can be no proscenium or proscenium arch.

proscribe

ostracize; banish; outlaw
Antony, Octavius and Lepidus proscribed all those who had conspired against Julius Caesar.

proselytize

induce someone to convert to religion or belief
In these interfaith meetings, there must be no attempt to proselytize; we must respect all points of view.

prosody

the art of versification
This book on prosody contains a rhyming dictionary as well as samples of the various verse forms.

prosperity

good fortune; financial success; physical well-being
Promising to stay together "for richer, for poorer," the newlyweds vowed to be true to one another in prosperity and hardship alike.

prostrate

stretch out full on ground
He prostrated himself before the idol.

protean

versatile; able to take on many forms
A remarkably protean actor, Alec Guinness could take on any role.

protocol

diplomatic etiquette
We must run this state dinner according to protocol if we are to avoid offending any of our guests.

prototype

original work used as a model by others
The crude typewriter on display in this museum is the prototype of the elaborate machines in use today.

protract

prolong
Seeking to delay the union members' vote, the management team tried to protract the negotiations
endlessly, but the union representatives saw through their strategy.

protrude

stick out
His fingers protruded from the holes in his gloves.

protuberance

protrusion; bulge
A ganglionic cyst is a fluid-filled tumor (generally benign) that develops near a joint membrane or tendon
sheath, and that bulges beneath the skin, forming a protuberance.

provenance

origin or source of something
I am not interested in its provenance; I am more concerned with its usefulness than with its source.

provender

dry food; fodder
I am afraid of a severe winter because I have stored a large quantity of provender for the cattle.

provident

displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies
In his usual provident manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss.

provincial

pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated
As provincial governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen's law in his remote corner of Canada.

provisional

tentative
The appointment is provisional; only on the approval of the board of directors will it be made permanent.

proviso

stipulation
I am ready to accept your proposal with the two proviso that you meet your obligations within the next
two weeks.

provoke

stir up anger; cause retaliation
In order to prevent a sudden outbreak of hostilities, we must not provoke our foe.

proximity

nearness
The deer sensed the hunter's proximity and bounded away.

proxy

authorized agent
Please act as my proxy and vote for this slate of candidates in my absence.

prudent

cautious; careful
A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but because he is greedy.

prude

excessively modest or proper person
The X-rated film was definitely not for prudes.

prune

cut away; trim
With the help of her editor, she was able to prune her manuscript into publishable form.

pseudonym

pen name
Samuel Clemens' pseudonym was Mark Twain.

psychiatrist

a doctor who treats mental diseases
A psychiatrist often needs long conferences with his patient before a diagnosis can be made.

psychopathic

pertaining to mental derangement
The psychopathic patient suffers more frequently from a disorder of the nervous system than from a
diseased brain.

psychosis

mental disorder
We must endeavor to find an outlet for the patient's repressed desires if we hope to combat this psychosis.

pterodactyl

extinct flying reptile
The remains of pterodactyls indicate that these flying reptiles had a wingspan of as much as twenty feet.

puerile

childish
His puerile pranks sometimes offended his more mature friends.

pugilist

boxer
The famous pugilist Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammed Ali.

pugnacious

combative; disposed to fight
As a child he was pugnacious and fought with everyone.

puissant

powerful; strong; potent
We must keep his friendship for he will make a puissant ally.

pulchritude

beauty; comeliness
I do not envy the judges who have to select this year's Miss America from this collection of female
pulchritude.

pulmonary

pertaining to the lungs
In his researches on pulmonary diseases, he discovered many facts about the lungs of animals and human
beings.

pulsate

throb
We could see the blood vessels in his temple pulsate as he became more angry.

pulverize

crush or grind into very small particles
Before sprinkling the dried herbs into the stew, Michael first pulverized them into a fine powder.

pummel

beat
The severity with which he was pummeled was indicated by the bruises he displayed on his head and face.

punctilious

laying stress on niceties of conduct or form; precise
We must be punctilious in our planning of this affair, for any error may be regarded as a personal affront.

pundit

learned Hindu; any learned person; authority on a subject
Even though he discourses on the matter like a pundit, he is actually rather ignorant about this topic.

pungency

sharpness; stinging quality
The pungency of the cigarette smoke made me cough.

punitive

punishing
He asked for punitive measures against the offender.

puny

insignificant; tiny; weak
Our puny efforts to stop the flood were futile.

purchase

firm grasp or footing
The mountaineer struggled to get a proper purchase on the slippery rock.

purgatory

place of spiritual expiation
In this purgatory, he could expect no help from his comrades.

purge

clean by removing impurities; clear of changes
If you are to be purged of the charge of contempt of Congress, you must be willing to answer the
questions previously asked.

purport

intention; meaning
If the purport of your speech was to arouse the rabble, you succeeded admirably.

purveyor

furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer
As purveyor of rare wines and viands, he traveled through France and Italy every year in search of new
products to sell.

pusillanimous

cowardly; fainthearted
You should be ashamed of your pusillanimous conduct during this dispute.

putative

supposed; reputed
Although there are some doubts, the putative author of this work is Massinger.

putrid

foul; rotten; decayed
The gangrenous condition of the wound was indicated by the putrid smell when the bandages were removed.

pyre

heap of combustible material, esp. for burning a corpse.
The mortician put pyre on the corpse before burning a corpse.

pyromaniac

person with an insane desire to set things on fire
The detectives searched the area for the pyromaniac who had set these costly fires.

quack

charlatan; impostor
Do not be misled by the exorbitant claims of this quack; he cannot cure you.

quadruped

four-footed animal
Most mammals are quadrupeds.

quaff

drink with relish
As we quaffed our ale, we listened to the gay songs of the students in the tavern.

quagmire

soft, wet, boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself
Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this
quagmire.

quail

cower; lose heart
He was afraid that he would quail in the face of danger.

quaint

odd; old-fashioned; picturesque
Her quaint clothes and old-fashioned language marked her as an eccentric.

qualified

limited; restricted
Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement.

qualms

misgivings
His qualms of conscience had become so great that he decided to abandon his plans.

quandary

dilemma
When the two colleges to which he had applied accepted him, he was in a quandary as to which one he
should attend.

quarantine

isolation of a person, place, or ship to prevent spread of infection We will have to place this house under quarantine until we determine the nature of the disease.

quarry

dig into
They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside.

quarry

victim; object of a hunt
The police closed in on their quarry.

quash

subdue; crush; squash
The authorities acted quickly to quash the student rebellion, sending in tanks to cow the demonstrators.

quay

dock; landing place
Because of the captain's carelessness, the ship crashed into the quay.

queasy

easily nauseated; squeamish
As the ship left the harbor, he became queasy and thought that he was going to suffer from seasickness.

quell

put down; quiet
The police used fire hoses and teat gas to quell the rioters.

querulous

fretful; whining
His classmates were repelled by his querulous and complaining statements.

queue

line
They stood patiently in the queue outside the movie theatre.

quibble

equivocate; play on words
Do not quibble; I want a straightforward and definite answer.

quiescent

at rest; dormant
After this geyser erupts, it will remain quiescent for twenty-four hours.

quietude

tranquillity
He was impressed by the air of quietude and peace that pervaded the valley.

quintessence

purest and highest embodiment
Noel Coward displayed the quintessence of wit.

quip

taunt
You are unpopular because you are too free with your quips and sarcastic comments.

quirk

startling twise; caprice
By a quirk of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before.

quisling

traitor who aids invaders
In his conquest of Europe, Hitler was aided by the quislings who betrayed their own people and served in the puppet governments established by the Nazis.

quiver

case for arrows
Robin Hood reached back and plucked one last arrow from his quiver.

quixotic

idealistic but impractical
His head is in the clouds; he is constantly presenting these quixotic schemes.

quizzical

bantering; comical; humorously serious
Will Rogers' quizzical remarks endeared him to his audiences.

quorum

number of members necessary to conduct a meeting
The senator asked for a roll call to determine whether a quorum was present.

quotidian

daily; commonplace; customary
To Philip, each new day of his internship was filled with excitement; he could not dismiss his rounds as
merely quotidian routine.

rabid

like a fanatic; furious
He was a rabid follower of the Dodgers and watched them play whenever he could go to the ball park.

raconteur

story-teller
My father was a gifted raconteur with an unlimited supply of anecdotes.

ragamuffin

person wearing tattered clothes
He felt sorry for the ragamuffin who was begging for food and gave him money to buy a meal.

rail

scold; rant
You may rail at him all you want; you will never change him.

raiment

clothing
"How can I go to the ball?" asked Cinderella. "I have no raiment fit to wear."

rakish

stylish; sporty
He wore his hat at a rakish and jaunty angle.

ramble

wander aimlessly (physically or mentally)
Listening to the teacher ramble, Judy wondered whether he'd ever get to his point.

ramification

branching out; subdivision
We must examine all the ramifications of this problem.

ramify

divide into branches or subdivisions
When the plant begins to ramify, it is advisable to nip off most of the new branches.

rampant

rearing up on hind legs; unrestrained
The rampant weeds in the garden killed all the flowers that had been planted in the spring.

rampart

defensive mound on earth
"From the ramparts we watched" as the fighting continued.

ramp

slope; inclined plane
The house was built with ramps instead of stairs in order to enable the man in the wheelchair to move easily from room to room and floor to floor.

ramshackle

rickety; falling apart
The boys propped up the ramshackle clubhouse with a couple of boards.

rancid

having the odor of stale fat
A rancid odor filled the ship's galley and nauseated the crew.

rancor

bitterness; hatred
Let us forget out rancor and cooperate in this new endeavor.

random

without definite purpose, plan, or aim; haphazard
Although the sponsor of the raffle claimed all winners were chosen at random, people had their suspicions
when the grand prize went to the sponsor's brother-in-law.

rankle

irritate; fester
The memory of having been jilted rankled him for years.

rant

rave; speak bombastically
As we heard him rant on the platform, we could not understand his strange popularity with many people.

rapacious

excessively grasping; plundering
Hawks and other rapacious birds prey on variety of small animals.

rapport

emotional closeness; harmony
In team teaching, it is important that all teachers in the group have good rapport with one another.

rarefied

made less dense [of a gas]
The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the rarefied atmosphere.

raspy

grating; harsh
The sergeant's raspy voice grated on the recruits' ears.

ratify

approve formally; verify
Before the treaty could go into effect, it had to be ratified by the president.

ratiocination

reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises
While Watson was a man of average intelligence, Holmes was a genius, whose gift for ratiocination made
him a superb detective.

rationalization

bringing into conformity with reason
All attempts at rationalization at this time are doomed to failure; tempers and emotions run too high for
intelligent thought to prevail.

rationalize

reason; justify an improper act
Do not try to rationalize your behavior by blaming your companions.

raucous

harsh and shrill
His raucous laughter irritated me and grated on my ears.

ravage

plunder; despoil
The marauding army ravaged the countryside.

ravel

fall apart into tangles; unravel or untwist; entangle
A sigle thread pulled loose, and the entire scarf started to ravel.

ravenous

extremely hungry
The revenous dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food.

rave

overwhelmingly favorable review
Though critic John Simon seldom has a good word to say about contemporary plays, his review of All in
the Timing was a total rave.

ravine

narrow valley with steep sides
Steeper than a gully, less precipitous than a canyon, a ravine is, like them, the product of years of erosion.

raze

destroy completely
The owners intend to raze the hotel and erect an office building on the site.

reactionary

recoiling from progress; retrograde
His program was reactionary since it sought to abolish many of the social reforms instituted by the
previous administration.

realm

kingdom; sphere
The realm of possibilities for the new invention was endless.

reaper

one who harvests grain
Death, the Grim Reaper, cuts down men and women, just as a farmer cuts down the ripened grain.

rebate

discount
We offer a rebate of ten percent to those who pay cash.

rebuff

snub; beat back
She rebuffed his invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed.

rebus

puzzle in which pictures stand for words
A coven of witches beside a tree is a possible rebus for the town Coventry.

rebuttal

refutation; response with contrary evidence
The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case, sure that she could answer his
arguments in her rebuttal.

recalcitrant

obstinately stubborn
Donkeys are reputed to be the most recalcitrant of animals.

recant

repudiate; withdraw previous statement
Unless you recant your confession, you will be punished severely.

recapitulate

summarize
Let us recapitulate what has been said thus far before going ahead.

receptive

quick or willing to receive ideas, suggestions, etc.
Adventure-loving Huck Finn proved a receptive audience for Tom's tales of buried treasure and piracy.

recession

withdrawal; retreat; time of low economic activity
The slow recession of the flood waters created problems for the crews working to restore power to the
area.

recidivism

habitual return to crime
Prison reformers in the United States are disturbed by the high rate of recidivism; the number of persons
serving second and third terms indicates the failure of the prisons to rehabilitate the inmates.

recipient

receiver
Although he had been the recipient of many favors, he was not grateful to his benefactor.

reciprocal

mutual; exchangeable; interacting
The two nations signed a reciprocal trade agreement.

reciprocate

repay in kind
If they attack us, we shall be compelled to reciprocate and bomb their territory.

recluse

hermit
The recluse lived in a hut in the forest.

reconcile

correct inconsistencies; become friendly after a quarrel
Every time we try to reconcile our checkbook with the bank statement, we quarrel. However, despite these
monthly lovers' quarrels, we always manage to reconcile.

recondite

abstruse; profound; secret
He read many recondite books in order to obtain the material for the scholarly thesis.

reconnaissance

survey of enemy by soldiers; reconnoitering
If you encounter any enemy soldiers during your reconnaissance, capture them for questioning.

recount

narrate or tell; count over again
About to recount the latest adventure of Sherlock Holmes, Watson lost track of exactly how many cases
Holmes had solved and refused to begin his tale until he'd recounted them one by one.

recourse

resorting to help when in trouble
The boy's only recourse was to appeal to his father for aid.

recrimination

countercharges
Loud and angry recriminations were her answer to his accusations.

rectify

correct
I want to rectify my error before it is too late.

rectitude

uprightness
He was renowned for his rectitude and integrity.

recumbent

reclining; lying down completely or in part
The command "AT EASE" does not permit you to take a recumbent position.

recuperate

recover
The doctors were worried because the patient did not recuperate as rapidly as they had expected.

recurrent

occurring again and again
These recurrent attacks disturbed us and we consulted a physician.

redolent

fragrant; odorous; suggestive of an odor
Even though it is February, the air is redolent of spring.

redoubtable

formidable; causing fear
During the Cold War period, neighboring countries tried not to offend the Russians because they could be
redoubtable foes.

redress

remedy; compensation
Do you mean to tell me that I can get no redress for my injuries?

redundant

superfluous; excessively wordy; repetitious
Your composition is redundant; you can easily reduce its length.

reek

emit (odor)
The room reeked with stale tobacco smoke.

refectory

dining hall
In this huge refectory, we can feed the entire student body at one sitting.

refraction

bending of a ray of light
When you look at a stick inserted in water, it looks bent because of the refraction of the light by the water.

refractory

stubborn; unmanageable
The refractory horse was eliminated from the race when he refused to obey the jockey.

refrain

v. abstain from; resist n. chorus
Whenever he heard a song with a lively chorus, Sol could never refrain from joining in on the refrain.

refurbish

renovate; make bright by polishing
The flood left a deposit of mud on everything; it was necessary to refurbish our belongings.

refute

disprove
The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the false testimony of the
prosecution's only witness.

regale

entertain
John regaled us with tales of his adventures in Africa.

regal

royal
Prince Albert had a regal manner.

regatta

boat or yacht race
Many boating enthusiasts followed the regatta in their own yachts.

regeneration

spiritual rebirth
Modern penologists strive for the regeneration of the prisoners.

regicide

murder of a king or queen
The beheading of Mary Queen of Scots was an act of regicide.

regimen

prescribed diet and habits
I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict regimen.

regime

method or system of government
When a Frenchman mentions the Old Regime, he refers to the government existing before the revolution.

rehabilitate

restore to proper condition
We must rehabilitate those whom we send to prison.

reimburse

repay
Let me know what you have spent and I will reimburse you.

reiterate

repeat
He reiterated the warning to make sure everyone understood it.

rejoinder

retort; comeback; reply
When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly satisfying to come up with a quick rejoinder.

rejuvenate

make young again
The charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate the aged and weary.

relapse

fall back or sink again
The economy relapsed into a depression from the peak.

relegate

banish; consign to inferior position
If we relegate these experts to minor posts because of their political persuasions, we shall lose their
valuable services.

relent

give in
When her stern father would not relent and allow her to marry Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett eloped
with her suitor.

relevant

pertinent; referring to the case in hand Teri was impressed by how relevant Virginia Woolf's remarks were to her as a woman writer; it was as if
Woolf had been writing with Teri's situation in mind.

relic

surviving remnant; memento
Egypt's Department of Antiquities prohibits tourists from taking mummies and other ancient relics out of
the country.

relinquish

abandon
I will relinquish my claims to this property if you promise to retain my employees.

relish

savor; enjoy
I relish a good joke as much as anyone else.

remediable

reparable
Let us be grateful that the damage is remediable.

reminiscence

recollection
Her reminiscences of her experiences are so fascinating that she ought to write a book.

remission

temporary moderation of disease symptoms; cancellation of a debt; forgiveness or pardon
Though Senator Tsongas had been treated for cancer, his symptoms were in remission, and he was
considered fit to handle the strains of a Presidential race.

remiss

negligent
He was accused of being remiss in his duty when the prisoner escaped.

remnant

remainder
I suggest that you wait until the store places the remnants of these goods on sale.

remonstrance

protest; objection
The authorities were deaf to the pastor's remonstrances about the lack of police protection in the area.

remorse

guilt; self-reproach
The murderer felt no remorse for his crime.

remunerative

compensating; rewarding
I find my new work so renumerative that I may not return to my previous employment.

render

deliver; provide; represent
He rendered aid to the needy and indigent.

rendezvous

meeting place
The two fleets met at the rendezvous at the appointed time.

rendition

translation; artistic interpretation of a song, etc.
The audience cheered enthusiastically as she completed her rendition of the aria.

rend

split; tear apart
In his grief, he tried to rend his garments.

renegade

deserter; traitor
Because he had abandoned his post and joined forces with the Indians, his fellow officers considered the
hero of Dances with Wolves a renegade.

renege

deny; go back on
He reneged on paying off his debt.

renounce

abandon; disown; repudiate
Even though she knew she would be burned at the stake as a witch, Joan of Arc refused to renounce her
belief that her voices came from God.

renovate

restore to good condition; renew
They claim that they can renovate worn shoes so that they look like new ones.

renown

fame
For many years an unheralded researcher, Barbara McClintock gained international renown when she won
the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine.

rent

tear or rip; split
The conflict over abortion threatens to split our nation, creating a rent in the social fabric that will be
difficult to mend.

reparable

capable of being repaired
Fortunately, the damages we suffered in the accident were reparable and our car looks brand new.

reparation

amends; compensation
At the peace conference, the defeated country promised to pay reparations to the victors.

repartee

clever reply
He was famous for his witty repartee and his sarcasm.

repeal

revoke; annul
What would the effect on our society be if we decriminalized drug use by repealing the laws against the
possession and sale of narcotics?

repellent

driving away; unattractive
Mosquitoes find the odor so repellent that they leave any spot where this liquid has been sprayed.

repercussion

rebound; reverberation; reaction
I am afraid that this event will have serious repercussions.

repertoire

list of works of music, drama, etc., a performer is prepared to present
The opera company decided to include Madame Butterfly in its repertoire for the following season.

repine

fret; complain
There is no sense repining over the work you have left undone.

replenish

fill up again Before she could take another backpacking trip, Carla had to replenish her stock of freeze-dried foods.

replete

filled to capacity; abundantly supplied
The book is replete with humorous situations.

replicate

reproduce; duplicate
To the chagrin of the scientists, they were unable to replicate the results of their controversial experiment.

replica

copy
Are you going to hang this replica of the Declaration of Independence in the classroom or in the
auditorium?

repository

storehouse
Libraries are repositories of the world's best thoughts.

reprehensible

deserving blame
Your vicious conduct in this situation is reprehensible.

repress

restrain; crush; oppress
Anne's parents tried to curb her impetuosity without repressing her boundless high spirits.

reprieve

temporary stay
During the twenty-four-hour reprieve, the lawyers sought to make the stay of execution permanent.

reprimand

reprove severely
I am afraid that my parents will reprimand me when I show them my report card.

reprisal

retaliation
I am confident that we are ready for any reprisals the enemy may undertake.

reprise

recurrent action; musical repetition; repeat performance
At Waterloo, it was not the effect of any one skirmish that exhausted Colonel Audly; rather it was the
cumulative effect of the constant reprises that left him spent.

reproach

blame; censure
I want my work to be above reproach and without error

reprobate

person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency
I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.

reprobation

severe disapproval
The students showed their reprobation of his act by refusing to talk with him.

reprove

censure; rebuke
The principal reproved the students when they became unruly in the auditorium.

repudiate

disown; disavow
He announced that he would repudiate all debts incurred by his wife.

repugnance

loathing
She looked at the snake with repugnance.

repulsion

act of driving back; distaste
The repulsion of the enemy forces was not accomplished bloodlessly; many of the defenders were
wounded in driving the enemy back.

reputable

respectable
If you want to buy antiques, look for a reputable dealer; far too many dealers today pass off fakes as
genuine antiques.

reputed

supposed
He is the reputed father of the child.

requiem

mass for the dead; dirge
They played Mozart's Requiem at the funeral.

requisite

necessary requirement
Many colleges state that a student must offer three years of a language as a requisite for admission.

requite

repay; revenge
The wretch requited his benefactors by betraying them.

rescind

cancel
Because of public resentment, the king had to rescind his order.

reserve

self-control; formal but distant manner
Although some girls were attracted by Mark's reserve, Judy was put off by it, for she felt his aloofness
indicated a lack of openness.

residue

remainder; balance
In his will, he requested that after payment of debts, taxes, and funeral expenses, the residue be given to his
wife.

resignation

patient submissiveness; statement that one is quitting a job
If Bob Cratchit had not accepted Scrooge's bullying with timid resignation, he might have gotten up the
nerve to hand in his resignation.

resilient

elastic; having the power of springing back
Highly resilient, steel makes excellent bedsprings.

resolution

determination
Nothing could shake his resolution to succeed despite all difficulties.

resolve

decide; settle; solve
Homes resolved to travel to Bohemia to resolve the dispute between Irene Adler and the King.

resolve

determination
Nothing could shake his resolve that his children would get the best education that money could buy.

resonant

echoing; resounding; deep and full in sound
The deep, resonant voice of the actor James Earl Jones makes him particulary effective when he appears
on stage.

respiration

breathing; exhalation
The doctor found that the patient's years of smoking had adversely affected both his lung capacity and his
rate of respiration.

respite

delay in punishment; interval of relief; rest
The judge granted the condemned man a respite to enable his attorneys to file an appeal.

resplendent

brilliant; lustrous
The toreador wore a resplendent costume called a suit of lights.

responsiveness

state of reacting readily to appeals, order, etc.
The audience cheered and applauded, delighting the performers by its responsiveness.

restitution

reparation; indemnification
He offered to make restitution for the window broken by his son.

restive

restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control
Waiting impatiently in the line to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow restive and start to
fidget.

restraint

controlling force
She dreamt of living an independent life, free of all restraints.

resumption

taking up again; recommencement
During the summer break, Don had not realized how much he missed university life: at the resumption of
classes, however, he felt marked excitement and pleasure.

resurgent

rising again after defeat, etc.
The resurgent nation surprised everyone by its quick recovery after total defeat.

resuscitate

revive
The lifeguard tried to resuscitate the drowned child by applying artificial respiration.

retain

keep; employ
Fighting to retain his seat in Congress, Senator Foghorn retained a new manager to head his reelection
campaign.

retaliate

repay in kind (usually for bad treatment)
Fear that we will retaliate immediately deters our foe from attacking us.

retentive

holding; having a good memory
The pupil did not need to spend much time in study as he had a retentive mind.

reticent

reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence Hughes preferred reticent employees to loquacious ones, noting that the formers' dislike of idle chatter
might ensure their discretion about his affairs.

retinue

following; attendants
The queen's retinue followed her down the aisle.

retiring

modest; shy
Given Susan't retiring personality, no one expected her to take up public speaking; surprisingly enough, she
became a star of the school debate team.

retort

quick, sharp reply
Even when it was advisable for her to keep her mouth shut, she was always ready with a retort.

retraction

withdrawal
He dropped his libel suit after the newspaper published a retraction of its statement.

retrench

cut down; economize
If they were to be able to send their children to college, they would have to retrench.

retribution

vengeance; compensation; punishment for offenses
The evangelist maintained that an angry deity would exact retribution from the sinners.

retrieve

recover; find and bring in
The dog was intelligent and quickly learned to retrieve the game killed by the hunter.

retroactive

taking effect before its enactment (as a law) or imposition (as a tax)
Because the new pension law was retroactive to the first of the year, even though Martha had retired in
February she was eligible for the pension.

retrograde

go backwards; degenerate
Instead of advancing, our civilization seems to have retrograded in ethics and culture.

retrospective

looking back on the past
It is only when we become retrospective that we can appreciate the tremendous advances made during this
century.

revelry

boisterous merrymaking
New Year's Eve is a night of revelry.

reverberate

echo; resound
The entire valley reverberated with the sound of the church bells.

reverent

respectful
His reverent attitude was appropriate in a house of worship.

reverie

daydream; musing
He was awakened from his reverie by the teacher's question.

revile

slander; vilify He was avoided by all who feared that he would revile and abuse them if they displeased him.

revoke

cancel; retract
Repeat offenders who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol face having their driver's licenses
permanently revoked.

revulsion

sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction
Many people in this country who admired dictatorships underwent a revulsion when they realized what
Hitler and Mussolini were trying to do.

rhapsodize

to speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner
She greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and rhapsodized about it for weeks.

rhetoric

art of effective communication; insincere or grandiloquent language
All writers, by necessity, must be skilled in rhetoric.

ribald

wanton; profane
He sang a ribald song that offended many of the more prudish listeners.

rider

amendment or clause added to a legislative bill
Senator Foghorn said he would support Senator Filibuster's tax reform bill only if Filibuster agreed to add
an antipollution rider to the bill.

rife

abundant; current
In the face of the many rumors of scandal, which are rife at the moment, it is best to remain silent.

rift

opening; break
The plane was lost in the stormy sky until the pilot saw the city through a rift in the clouds.

rigid

stiff and unyielding; strict; hard and unbending
By living with a man to whom she was not married, George Eliot broke Victorian society's most rigid rule
of respectable behavior.

rigor

severity
Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters.

rig

fix or manipulate
The ward boss was able to rig the election by bribing people to stuff the ballot boxes with ballots marked
in his candidate's favor.

rile

vex; irritate; muddy
Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to rile.

riveting

absorbing; engrossing
The reviewer described Byatt's novel Possession as a riveting tale: absorbed in the story, he had finished it
in a single evening.

rivulet

small stream
As the rains continued, the trickle of water running down the hillside grew into a rivulet that threatened to wash away a portion of the slope.

robust

vigorous; strong
The candidate for the football team had a robust physique.

rococo

ornate; highly decorated
The rococo style in furniture and architecture, marked by scrollwork and excessive decoration, flourished
during the middle of the eighteenth century.

roil

to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; to disturb
Be careful when you pour not to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you'll destroy the flavor.

roseate

rosy; optimistic
I am afraid you will have to alter your roseate views in the light of the distressing news that has just arrived.

roster

list
They print the roster of players in the season's program.

rostrum

platform for speech-making; pulpit
The crowd murmured angrily and indicated that they did not care to listen to the speaker who was
approaching the rostrum.

rote

repetition
He recited the passage by rote and gave no indication he understood what he was saying.

rotunda

circular building or hall covered with a dome
His body lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol.

rotundity

roundness; sonorousness of speech
Washington Irving emphasized the rotundity of the governor by describing his height and circumference.

rousing

lively; stirring
"And now, let's have a rousing welcome for TV's own Roseanne Arnold, who'll lead us in a rousing
rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'"

rout

stampede; drive out
The reinforcements were able to rout the enemy

rubble

fragments
Ten years after World War II, some of the rubble left by enemy bombings could still be seen.

rubric

title or heading (in red print); directions for religious ceremony; protocol
In ordaining the new priests, the bishop carefully observed all the rubrics for the ordination service.

ruddy

reddish; healthy-looking
His ruddy features indicated that he had spent much time in the open.

rudimentary

not developed; elementary
His dancing was limited to a few rudimentary steps.

rueful

regretful; sorrowful; dejected
The artist has captured the sadness of childhood in his portrait of the boy with the rueful countenance.

ruffian

bully; scoundrel
The ruffians threw stones at the police.

ruminate

chew the cud; ponder
We cannot afford to wait while you ruminate upon these plans.

rummage

ransack; thoroughly search
When we rummaged through the trunks in the attic, we found many souvenirs of our childhood days.

runic

mysterious; set down in an ancient alphabet
Tolkien's use of Old English words and inscriptions in the runic alphabet give The Lord of the Rings its
atmosphere of antiquity.

ruse

trick; stratagem
You will not be able to fool your friends with such an obvious ruse.

rusticate

banish to the country; dwell in the country
I like city life so much that I can never understand how people can rusticate in the suburbs.

rustic

pertaining to country people; uncouth
The backwoodsman looked out place in his rustic attire.

ruthless

pitiless
The escaped convict was a dangerous and ruthless murderer.

saboteur

one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property
Members of the Resistance acted as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the
Nazi army.

saccharine

cloyingly sweet
She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a saccharine smile.

sacrilegious

desecrating; profane
His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act.

sacrosanct

most sacred; inviolable
The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the company.

sadistic

inclined to cruelty
If we are to improve conditions in this prison, we must first get rid of the sadistic warden.

sagacious

keen; shrewd; having insight
He is much too sagacious to be fooled by a trick like that.

saga

Scandinavian myth; any legend
This is a saga of the sea and the men who risk their lives on it.

sage

person celebrated for wisdom
Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed
with a burning desire to consult the legendary sage.

salacious

lascivious; lustful
Chaucer's monk is not pious but salacious, a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests.

salient

prominent
One of the salient features of that newspaper is its excellent editorial page.

saline

salty
The slightly saline taste of this mineral water is pleasant.

sallow

yellowish; sickly in color
We were disturbed by his sallow complexion, which was due to jaundice.

salubrious

healthful
Many people with hay fever move to more salubrious sections of the country during the months of August
and September.

salutary

tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome
The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.

salvage

rescue from loss
All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.

sanctimonious

displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness
You do not have to be so sanctimonious to prove that you are devout.

sanction

approve; ratify
Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man.

sanguinary

bloody
The battle of lwo Jina was unexpectedly sanguinary with many casualties.

sanguine

cheerful; hopeful
Let us not be too sanguine about the outcome; something could go wrong.

sap

diminish; undermine
The element kryptonite had an unhealthy effect on Superman: it sapped his strength.

sarcasm

scornful remarks, stinging rebuke
His feelings were hurt by the sarcasm of his supposed friends.

sardonic

disdainful; sarcastic; cynical
The sardonic humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some
people as amusing and others as rude.

sartorial

pertaining to tailors
He was as famous for the sartorial splendor of his attire as he was for his acting.

satellite

small body revolving around a larger one
During the first few years of the Space Age, hundreds of satellites were launched by Russia and the United
States.

sate

satisfy to the full; cloy
Its hunger sated, the lion dozed.

satiate

surfeit; satisfy fully
The guests, having eaten until they were satiated, now listened inattentively to the speakers.

satire

form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack vice and folly
Gulliver's Travels, which is regarded by many as a tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking
human folly.

satirical

mocking
The humor of cartoonists Gary Trudeau often is satirical; though the comments of the Doonesbury
characters, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly.

saturate

soak
Their clothes were saturated by the rain.

saturnine

gloomy
Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks.

satyr

half-human, half-bestial being in the court of Dionysus, portrayed as wanton and cunning
He was like a satyr in his lustful conduct.

saunter

stroll slowly
As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the spring flowers.

savant

scholar
Our faculty includes many worldfamous savants.

savory

tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable
Julia Child's recipes enable amateur chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.

savor

enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality
Relishing his triumph, Costner especially savored the chagrin of the critics who had predicted his failure.

scabbard

case for a sword blade; sheath
The drill master told the recruit to wipe the blood from his sword before slipping it back into the scabbard.

scad

a great quantity
Refusing Dave's offer to lend him a shirt, Phil replied, "No, thanks: I've got scads of clothes."

scaffold

temporary platform for workers; bracing framework; platform for execution
Before painting the house, the workers put up a scaffold to allow them to work on the second story.

scale

climb up; ascend
To locate a book on the top shelf of the stacks, Lee had to scale an exceptionally rickety ladder.

scanty

meager; insufficient
Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for more.

scapegoat

someone who bears the blame for others
After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame.

scavenge

hunt through discarded materials for usable items; search, especially for food
If you need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto
wreckers' yards.

scenario

plot outline; screenplay; opera libretto
Scaramouche startled the other actors in the commedia troupe when he suddenly departed from their
customary scenario and began to improvise.

schematic

relating to an outline or diagram; using a system of symbols
In working out the solution to an analytical logic question, you may find it helpful to construct a simple
schematic diagram illustrating the relationships between the items of information given in the question.

schism

division; split
Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.

scintillate

sparkle; flash
I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the conversation scintillates.

scintilla

shred; least bit
You have not produced a scintilla of evidence to support your argument.

scoff

mock; ridicule
He scoffed at dentists until he had his first toothache.

scotch

stamp out; thwart; hinder
Heather tried to scotch the rumor that she had stolen her best friend's fiance.

scourge

lash; whip; severe punishment They feared the plague and regarded it as a deadly scourge.

scruple

fret about; hesitate, for ethical reasons
Fearing that her husband had become involved in an affair, she did not scruple to read his diary.

scrupulous

conscientious; extremely thorough
I can recommend him for a position of responsibility for I have found him a very scrupulous young man.

scrutinize

examine closely and critically
Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized every detail of the private's uniform.

scuffle

struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry.
The twins briefly scuffled, wrestling to see which of them would get the toy. When their big brother yelled,
"Let go of my Gameboy!" they scuffled off down the hall.

scurrilous

obscene; indecent
Your scurrilous remarks are especially offensive because they are untrue.

scurry

move briskly
The White Rabbit had to scurry to get to his appointment on time.

scurvy

despicable; contemptible
Peter Pan sneered at Captain Hook and his scurvy crew.

scuttle

sink
The sailors decided to scuttle their vessel rather than surrender it to the enemy.

seamy

sordid; unwholesome
In the Godfather, Michael Corleone is unwilling to expose his wife and children to the seamy side of his
life as the son of a Mafia don.

sear

char or burn; brand
Accidentally brushing against the hot grill, she seared her hand badly.

seasoned

experienced
Though pleased with her new batch of rookies, the basketball coach wished she had a few more seasoned
players on the team.

secession

withdrawal
The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major problem after his inauguration.

seclusion

isolation; solitude
One moment she loved crowds; the next, she sought seclusion.

secrete

hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism.
The pack rat secretes odds and ends in its nest; the pancreas secretes insulin in the islets of Langerhans.

sectarian

narrow-minded; limited in scope
As university chaplain, she sought to address universal religious issues and not limit herself to mere sectarian concerns.

secular

worldly; not pertaining to church matters; temporal
The church leaders decided not interfere in secular matters.

sedate

composed; grave
The parents were worried because they felt their son was too quiet and sedate.

sedative

calming drug or influence
It is dangerous to drive after taking the sedative; it brings drowsiness.

sedentary

requiring sitting
Because he had a sedentary occupation, he decided to visit a gymnasium weekly.

sedition

resistance to authority; insubordination
His words, though not treasonous in themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of sedition.

sedulous

diligent
The young woman was so sedulous that she received a commendation for her hard work.

seedy

run-down; decrepit; disreputable
I would rather stay in dormitory lodgings in a decent youth hostel than have a room of my own in a seedy
downtown hotel.

seemly

proper; appropriate
Lady Bracknell did not think it was seemly for Ernest to lack a proper family; no baby abandoned on a
doorstep could grow up to marry her daughter.

seep

ooze; trickle
During the rainstorm, water seeped through the crack in the basement wall and damaged the floor boards.

seethe

be disturbed; boil
The nation was seething with discontent as the nobleman continued their arrogant ways.

seine

net for catching fish
When the shad run during the spring, you may see fishermen with seines along the banks of our coastal
rivers.

seismic

pertaining to earthquakes
The Richter scale is a measurement of seismic disturbances.

semblance

outward appearance; guise
Although this book has a semblance of wisdom and scholarship, a careful examination will reveal many
errors and omissions.

seminal

germinal; influencing future developments; related to seed or semen
Although Freud has generally been regarded as a seminal thinker who shaped the course of psychology, his
psychoanalytic methods have come under attack recently.

seminary

school for training future ministers; secondary school, especially for young women
Sure of his priestly vocation, Terrence planned to pursue his theological training at the local Roman
Catholic seminary.

senility

old age; feeble mindedness of old age
Most of the decisions are being made by the junior members of the company because of the senility of the
president.

sensual

devoted to the pleasures of the senses; carnal; voluptous
I cannot understand what caused him to drop his sensual way of life and become so ascetic.

sensuous

pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses
He was stimulated by the sights, sounds and smells about him; he was enjoying his sensuous experience.

sententious

terse; concise; aphoristic
After reading so many redundant speeches, I find his sententious style particulary pleasing.

sentinel

sentry; lookout
Though camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary precaution of posting sentinels around
the encampment.

septic

putrid; producing putrefaction
The hospital was in such a filthy state that we were afraid that many of the patients would suffer from
septic poisoning.

sepulcher

tomb
Annabel Lee was buried in a sepulcher by the sea.

sequester

retire from public life; segregate; seclude
Although he had hoped for a long time to sequester himself in a small community, he never was able to
drop his busy round of activities in the city.

serendipity

gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck
Many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity: Newton was not sitting there thinking about gravity
when the apple dropped on his head.

serenity

calmness; placidity
The serenity of the sleepy town was shattered by a tremendous explosion.

sere

parched; dry
After the unseasonably dry winter the Berkeley hills looked dusty and sere.

serpentine

winding; twisting
The car swerved at every curve in the serpentine road.

serrated

having a sawtoothed edge
The beech tree is one of many plants that have serrated leaves.

servile

slavish; cringing
Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heap was a servile creature.

servitude

slavery; compulsory labor Born a slave, Douglass resented his wife of servitude and plotted to escape to the North.

severance

division; partition; separation
The severance of church and state is a basic principle of our government.

severity

harshness; plainness
The newspapers disapproved of the severity of the sentence.

sextant

navigation tool used to determine a ship's latitude and longitude
Given a clear night, with the aid of his sextant and compass, he could keep the ship safely on course.

shackle

chain; fetter
The criminal's ankles were shackled to prevent his escape.

shambles

slaughterhouse; scene of carnage
By the time the police arrived, the room was a shambles.

sham

pretend
He shammed sickness to get out of going to school.

shard

fragment, generally of pottery
The archaeologist assigned several students the task of reassembling earthenware vessels from the shards
he had brought back from the expedition.

sheaf

bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together
The lawyer picked up a sheaf of papers as he rose to question the witness.

sheathe

place into a case
As soon as he recognized the approaching men, he sheathed his dagger and hailed them as friends.

sherbet

flavored dessert ice
I prefer raspberry sherbet to ice cream since it is less fattening.

shimmer

glimmer intermittently
The moonlight shimmered on the water as the moon broke through the clouds for a moment.

shirk

avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger
Brian has a strong sense of duty; he would never shirk any responsibility.

shoddy

sham; not genuine; inferior
You will never get the public to buy such shoddy material.

shrewd

clever; astute
A shrewd investor, he took clever advantage of the fluctuations of the stock market.

shrew

scolding woman
No one wanted to marry Shakespeare's Kate because she was a shrew.

shunt

turn aside; divert; sidetrack
If the switchman failed to shunt the Silver Streak onto a side track, the train would plow right into Union
Station.

shun

keep away from Cherishing his solitude, the recluse shunned the company of other human beings.

shyster

lawyer using questionable methods.
On L.A. Law, respectable attorney Brackman was horrified to learn that his newly discovered half brother
was a cheap shyster.

sibling

brother or sister
We may not enjoy being siblings, but we cannot forget that we still belong to the same family.

sibylline

prophetic; oracular
Until their destruction by fire in 83 B.C., the sibylline books were often consulted by the Romans.

sidereal

relating to the stars
Although hampered by optical and mechanical flaws, the orbiting Hubble space telescope has relayed
extraordinary images of distant sidereal bodies.

silt

sediment deposited by running water
The harbor channel must be dredged annually to remove the silt.

simian

monkeylike
Lemurs are nocturnal mammals and have many simian characteristics, although they are less intelligent
than monkeys.

simile

comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as
"My love is like a red, red rose" is a simile.

simper

smirk; smile affectedly
Complimented on her appearance, Stella self-consciously simpered.

simplistic

oversimplified
Though Jack's solution dealt adequately with one aspect of the problem, it was simplistic in failing to
consider various complicating factors that might arise.

simulate

feign
He simulated insanity in order to avoid punishment for his crime.

sinecure

well-paid position with little responsibility
My job is no sinecure; I work long hours and have much responsibility.

sinewy

tough; strong and firm
The steak was too sinewy to chew

singular

unique; extraordinary; odd
Though the young man tried to understand Father William's singular behavior, he still found it odd that the
old man incessantly stood on his head.

sinister

evil
We must defeat the sinister forces that seek our downfall.

sinuous

winding; bending in and out; not morally honest
The snake moved in a sinuous manner.

skeptic

doubter; person who suspends judgment until he has examined the evidence supporting a
point of view.
In this matter, I am a skeptic; I want proof.

skiff

small, light sailboat or rowboat
Tom dreamed of owning an ocean-going yacht but had to settle for a skiff he could sail in the bay.

skimp

provide scantily; live very economically
They were forced to skimp on necessities in order to make their limited supplies last the winter.

skinflint

miser
The old skinflint refused to give her a raise.

skirmish

minor fight
Custer's troops expected they might run into a skirmish or two on maneuvers; they did not expect to face a
major battle.

skittish

lively; frisky
She is as skittish as a kitten playing with a piece of string.

skulduggery

dishonest behavior
The investigation into municipal corruption turned up new instances of skulduggery daily.

skulk

move furtively and secretly
He skulked through the less fashionable sections of the city in order to avoid meeting any of his former
friends.

slacken

slow up; loosen
As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.

slag

residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter
The blast furnace had a special opening at the bottom to allow the workers to remove the worthless slag.

slake

quench; sate
When we reached the oasis, we were able to slake our thirst.

slander

defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements
Unless you can prove your allegations, your remarks constitute slander.

slapdash

haphazard; careless; sloppy
From the number of typos and misspellings I've found on it, it's clear that Mario proofread the report in a
remarkably slapdash fashion.

sleazy

flimsy; unsubstantial
This is a sleazy fabric; it will not wear well.

sleeper

something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable
Unnoticed by the critics at its publication, the eventual Pulitzer Prize winner was a classic sleeper.

sleight

dexterity
The magician amazed the audience with his sleight of hand.

slight

insult to one's dignity; snub
Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or
imaginary slights.

slither

slip or slide
During the recent ice storm, many people slithered down this hill as they walked to the station.

sloth

laziness
Such sloth in a young person is deplorable; go to work!

sloth

slow-moving tree-dwelling mammal
Note how well the somewhat greenish coat of the sloth enables it to blend in with its arboreal
surroundings.

slough

cast off
Each spring, the snake sloughs off its skin.

slovenly

untidy; slipshod
Such slovenly work habits will never produce good products.

sluggard

lazy person
"You are a sluggard, a drone, a parasite," the angry father shouted at his lazy son.

sluggish

slow; lazy; lethargic
After two nights without sleep, she felt sluggish and incapable of exertion.

sluice

artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water
In times of drought, this sluice enables farmers to obtain water for irrigation.

slur

insult to one's character or reputation; slander
Polls revealed that the front-runner's standing had been damaged by the slurs and innuendoes circulated by
his opponent's staff.

smattering

slight knowledge
I don't know whether it is better to be ignorant of a subject or to have a mere smattering of information
about it.

smirk

conceited smile
Wipe that smirk off your face!

smolder

burn without flame; be liable to break out at any moment
The rags smoldered for hours before they burst into flame.

snicker

half-stifled laugh
The boy could not suppress a snicker when the teacher sat on the tack.

snivel

run at the nose; snuffle; whine
Don't you come sniveling to me complaining about your big brother.

sobriety

moderation (especially regarding indulgence in alcohol); seriousness
Neither drunkards nor comics are noted for sobriety.

sodden

soaked; dull, as if from drink
He set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry.

sojourn

temporary stay
After his sojourn in Florida, he began to long for the colder climate of his native New England home.

solace

comfort in trouble
I hope you will find solace in the thought that all of us share your loss.

solder

repair or make whole by using a metal alloy
The plumber fixed the leak in the pipes by soldering a couple of joints from which water had been oozing.

solecism

construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically
I must give this paper a failing mark because it contains many solecisms.

solemnity

seriousness; gravity
The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the solemnity of the marriage service.

solicitous

worried, concerned
The employer was very solicitous about the health of her employees as replacements were difficult to get.

solicit

request earnestly; seek
Knowing she needed to have a solid majority for the budget to pass, the mayor telephoned all the members
of the city council to solicit their votes.

soliloquy

talking to oneself
The soliloquy is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a character's innermost thoughts and emotions.

solstice

point at which the sun is farthest from the equator
The winter solstice usually occurs on December 21.

solvent

able to pay all debts
By dint of very frugal living, he was finally able to become solvent and avoid bankruptcy proceedings.

somatic

pertaining to the body; physical
Why do you ignore the spiritual aspects and emphasize only the corporeal and the somatic ones?

somber

gloomy; depressing
From the doctor's grim expression, I could tell he had somber news.

somnambulist

sleepwalker
The most famous somnambulist in literature is Lady Macbeth; her monologue in the sleepwalking scene is
one of the highlights of Shakespeare's play.

somnolent

half asleep
The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all somnolent and indifferent to the speaker.

sonorous

resonant
His sonorous voice resounded through the hall.

sophistication

artificiality; unnaturalness; act of employing sophistry in reasoning
Sophistication is an acquired characteristic, found more frequently among city dwellers than among
residents of rural areas.

sophistry

seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning
Instead of advancing valid arguments, he tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of sophistries.

sophist

teacher of philosophy; quibbler; employer of fallacious reasoning
You are using all the devices of a sophist in trying to prove your case; your argument is specious.

sophomoric

immature; shallow
Your sophomoric remarks are a sign of your youth and indicate that you have not given much thought to
the problem.

soporific

sleep producing
I do not need a sedative when I listen to one of his soporific speeches.

sordid

filthy; base; vile
The social worker was angered by the sordid housing provided for the homeless.

spangle

small metallic piece sewn to clothing for ornamentation
The thousands of spangles on her dress sparkled in the glare of the stage lights.

spartan

lacking luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined
Looking over the bare, unheated room with its hard cot, he wondered what he was doing in such spartan
quarters. Only his spartan sense of duty kept him at his post.

spasmodic

fitful; periodic
The spasmodic coughing in the auditorium annoyed the performers.

spate

sudden flood
I am worried about the possibility of a spate if the rains do not diminish soon.

spatial

relating to space
It is difficult to visualize the spatial extent of our universe.

spatula

broad-bladed instrument used for spreading or mixing
The manufacturers of this frying pan recommended the use of a rubber spatula to avoid scratching the
specially treated surface.

spat

squabble; minor dispute
What had started out as a mere spat escalated into a full-blown argument.

spawn

lay eggs
Fish ladders had to be built in the dams to assist the salmon returning to spawn in their native streams.

specious

seemingly reasonable but incorrect
Let us not be misled by such specious arguments.

spectral

ghostly
We were frightened by the spectral glow that filled the room.

spectrum

colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism
The visible portion of the spectrum includes red at one end and violet at the other.

spendthrift

someone who wastes money
Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into spendthrifts who shop till they drop.
193. sphinx-like enigmatic; mysterious
The Mona Lisa's sphinx-like expression has puzzled art lovers for centuries.

splice

fasten together; unite
Before you splice two strips of tape together, be sure to line them up evenly.

spontaneity

impulsiveness; absence of premeditation
What I liked best about Dale's parties was their spontaneity: a couple of friends would drop by, someone
would pull out a fiddle or guitar, and before you knew it the party would be in full swing.

spoonerism

accidental transposition of sounds in sucessive words
When the radio announcer introduced the President as Hoobert Herver, he was guilty of spoonerism.

sporadic

occurring irregularly
Although there are still sporadic outbursts of shooting in the streets, the rebellion is essentially over.

sportive

playful
Such a sportive attitude is surprising in a person as serious as you usually are.

spruce

neat and trim
Every button buttoned, tie firmly in place, young Alex Keaton looked spruce and tidy for his job interview
at the bank.

spry

vigorously active; nimble
She was eighty years old, yet still spry and alert.

spurious

false; counterfeit; forged; illogical
The hero of Jonathan Gash's mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the reader advice on how to tell
spurious antiques from the real things.

spurn

reject; scorn
The heroine spurned the villain's advances.

squabble

minor quarrel; bickering
Children invariably get involved in petty squabbles; wise parents know when to interfere and when to let
the children work things out on their own.

squalid

dirty; neglected; poor
It is easy to see how crime can breed in such a squalid neighborhood.

squander

waste
The prodigal son squandered the family estate.

squat

stocky; short and thick
Tolkien's hobbits are somewhat squat, sturdy little creatures, fond of good ale, good music, and good food.

staccato

played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt, sharp sound
His staccato speech reminded one of the sound of a machine gun.

stagnant

motionless; stale; dull
The stagnant water was a breeding ground for disease

staid

sober; sedate
Her conduct during the funeral ceremony was staid and solemn.

stalemate

deadlock
Negotiations between the union and the employers have reached a stalemate; neither side is willing to
budge from previously stated positions.

stalwart

strong, brawny; steadfast
His consistent support of the party has proved that he is a stalwart and loyal member.

stamina

strength; staying power
I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full distance of the marathon race.

stanch

check flow of blood
It is imperative that we stanch the gushing wound before we attend to the other injuries.

stanza

division of a poem
Do you know the last stanza of "The Star-Spangled Banner"?

static

unchanging; lacking development
Nothing had changed at home; things were static there

statute

law We have many statutes in our law books which should be repealed.

statutory

created by statute or legislative action
The judicial courts review and try statutory crimes.

steadfast

loyal; unswerving
Penelope was steadfast in her affections, faithfully waiting for Ulysses to return from his wanderings.

stealth

slyness; sneakiness; secretiveness
Fearing detection by the sentries on duty, the scout inched his way toward the enemy camp with great
stealth.

steep

soak; saturate
Be sure to steep the fabric in the dye bath for the full time prescribed.

stellar

pertaining to the stars
He was the stellar attraction of the entire performance.

stemfrom

arise from
Milton's problems in school stemmed from his poor study habits.

stem

check the flow
The paramedic used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the slashed artery.

stentorian

extremely loud
The town crier had stentorian voice.

stickler

perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right
The Internal Revenue Service agent was a stickler for accuracy; no approximations or rough estimates
would satisfy him.

stifle

suppress; extinguish; inhibit
Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying to stifle her yawns.

stigma

token of disgrace; brand
I do not attach any stigma to the fact that you were accused of this crime; the fact that you were acquitted
clears you completely.

stilted

bombastic; stiffly pompous
His stilted rhetoric did not impress the college audience; they were immune to bombastic utterances.

stint

be thrifty; set limits
"Spare no expense," the bride's father said, refusing to stint on the wedding arrangements.

stint

supply; allotted amount; assigned portion of work He performed his daily stint cheerfully and willingly.

stipend

pay for services
There is a nominal stipend for this position.

stipple

paint or draw with dots
Seurat carefully stippled dabs of pure color on the canvas, juxtaposing dots of blue and yellow that the
viewer's eye would interpret as green.

stipulate

make express conditions, specify
Before agreeing to reduce American military forces in Europe, the president stipulated that NATO teams
be allowed to inspect Soviet bases.

stodgy

stuffy; boringly conservative
For a young person, Winston seems remarkably stodgy: you'd expect someone of his age to have a little
more life.

stoic

person who is indifferent to pleasure or pain
The doctor called her patient a stoic because he had borne the pain of the examination without
whimpering.

stoke

stir up a fire; feed plentifully
As a Scout, Marisa learned how to light a fire, how to stoke it if it started to die down, and how to
extinguish it completely.

stolidity

dullness; impassivenss
The earthquake shattered his usual stolidity; trembling, he crouched on the no longer stable ground.

stratified

divided into classes; arranged into strata
As the economic gap between the rich and the poor increased, Roman society grew increasingly stratified.

stratum

layer of earth's surface; layer of society
Unless we alleviate conditions in the lowest stratum of our society, we may expect grumbling and revolt.

streotyped

oversimplified; lacking individuality; seen as a type
My chief objection to the book is that the characters are stereotyped; they come across as ethnic
caricatures, not as real people with individual quirks, fears, and dreams.

strew

spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter
Preceding the bride to the altar, the flower girl will strew rose petals along the aisle.

striated

marked with parallel bands; grooved
The glacier left many striated rocks.

stricture

critical comments; severe and adverse criticism
His strictures on the author's style are prejudiced and unwarranted.

strident

loud and harsh
She scolded him in a strident voice

stringent

binding; rigid
I think these regulations are too stringent.

strut

pompous walk
His strut as he marched about the parade ground revealed him for what he was: a pompous buffoon.

strut

supporting bar
The engineer calculated that the strut supporting the rafter needed to be reinforced.

studied

unspontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful
Given Jill's previous slights, Jack felt that the omission of his name from the guest list was a studied insult.

stultify

cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; frustrate or hinder
His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the menial labor had
stultified his mind.

stupefy

make numb; stun; amaze
Disapproving of drugs in general, Laura refused to take sleeping pills or any other medicine that might
stupefy her.

stupor

state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness
In his stupor, the addict was unaware of the events taking place around him.

stygian

literary dark
The stygian room reminded him of an empty space.

stymie

present an obstacle; stump
The detective was stymied by the contradictory evidence in the robbery investigation.

suavity

urbanity; polish
He is particulary good in roles that require suavity and sophistication.

subaltern

subordinate
The captain treated his subalterns as though they were children rather than commissioned officers.

subjective

occurring or taking place within the mind; unreal
Your analysis is highly subjective; you have permitted your emotions and your opinions to color your
thinking.

subjugate

conquer; bring under control
It is not our aim to subjugate our foe; we are interested only in establishing peaceful relations.

sublimate

refine; purify
We must strive to sublimate these desires and emotions into worthwhile activities.

sublime

exalted; noble; uplifting
Mother Teresa has been honored for her sublime deeds.

subliminal

below the threshold
We may not be aware of the subliminal influences that affect our thinking.

submissive

yielding; timid
Crushed by his authoritarian father, Will had no defiance left in him; he was totally submissive in the face
of authority.

suborn

persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury)
In the Godfather, the mobsters used bribery and threats to suborn the witnesses against Don Michael
Corleone.

subpoena

writ summoning a witness to appear
The prosecutor's office was ready to serve a subpoena on the reluctant witness.

subsequent

following; later
In subsequent lessons, we shall take up more difficult problems.

subservient

behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious
He was proud and dignified; he refused to be subservient to anyone.

subside

settle down; descend; grow quiet
The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside.

subsidiary

subordinate; secondary
This information may be used as subsidiary evidence but is not sufficient by itself to prove your argument.

subsidy

direct financial aid by government, etc.
Without this subsidy, American ship operators would not be able to compete in world markets.

subsistence

existence; means of support; livelihood
In those days of inflated prices, my salary provided mere subsistence.

substantiate

verify; support
I intend to substantiate my statement by producing witnesses.

substantive

essential; pertaining to the substance
Although the delegates were aware of the importance of the problem, they could not agree on the
substantive issues.

subsume

include; encompass
Does the general theory of relativity contradict Newtonian physics, or is Newton's law of gravity subsumed
into Einstein's larger scheme?

subterfuge

pretense; evasion
As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a subterfuge we withdrew our endorsement of
your candidacy.

subtlety

nicety; cunning; guile; delicacy
The subtlety of his remarks was unnoticed by most of his audience.

subversive

tending to overthrow; destructive
At first glance, the notion that Styrofoam cups may actually be more ecologically sound than paper cups
strikes most environmentalists as subversive.

succinct

brief; terse; compact
His remarks are always succinct and pointed.

succor

aid; assistance; relief
We shall be ever grateful for the succor our country gave us when we were in need.

succulent

juicy; full of richness
To some people, Florida citrus fruits are more succulent than those from California.

succumb

yield; give in; die
I succumb to temptation whenever it comes my way.

suffragist

advocate of voting rights (for women)
In recognition of her efforts to win the vote for women, Congress authorized coining a silver dollar
honoring the suffragist Susan B. Anthony.

suffuse

spread over
A blush suffused her cheeks when we teased her about her love affair.

sully

tarnish; soil
He felt that it was beneath his dignity to sully his hands in such menial labor.

sultry

sweltering
He could not adjust himself to the sultry climate of the tropics.

summation

act of finding the total, summary
In his summation, the lawyer emphasized the testimony given by the two witnesses.

sumptuous

lavish; rich
I cannot recall when I have had such a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast.

sunder

separate; part
Northern and southern Ireland are politically and religiously sundered.

sundry

various; several
My suspicions were aroused when I read sundry items in the newspapers about your behavior.

superannuated

retired or disqualified because of age
The superannuated man was indignant because he felt that he could still perform a good day's work.

supercilious

contemptuous; haughty
I prefer Jill's modesty to Jack's supercilious and arrogant attitude.

supererogatory

superfluous; more than needed or demanded
We have more than enough witnesses to corroborate your statement; to present any more would be
supererogatory.

superficial

trivial; shallow
Since your report gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, I cannot give you more than a passing
grade.

superfluous

excessive; overabundant, unnecessary
Please try not to include so many superfluous details in your report; just give me the bare facts.

superimpose

place over something else
Your attempt to superimpose another agency in this field will merely increase the bureaucratic nature of
our government.

supernumerary

person or thing in excess of what is necessary; extra
His first appearance on the stage was as a supernumerary in a Shakespearean tragedy.

supersede

cause to be set aside; replace
This regulation will supersede all previous rules.

supine

lying on back
The defeated pugilist lay supine on the canvas.

supplant

replace; usurp
Corazon Aquino supplanted Ferdinand Marcos as president of the Philippines.

supple

flexible; pliant
The angler found a supple limb and used it as a fishing rod.

suppliant

entreating; beseeching
He could not resist the dog's suppliant whimpering, and he gave it some food.

supplicate

petition humbly; pray to grant a favor
We supplicate Your Majesty to grant him amnesty.

supposition

hypothesis; surmise
I based my decision to confide in him on the supposition that he would be discreet.

supposititious

assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical
I find no similarity between your supposititious illustration and the problem we are facing.

surfeit

satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything
Every Thanksgiving we are surfeited with an overabundance of holiday treats.

surly

rude; cross
Because of his surly attitude, many people avoided his company.

surmise

guess
I surmise that he will be late for this meeting.

surmount

overcome
He had to surmount many obstacles in order to succeed.

surpass

exceed
Her SAT scores surpassed out expectations.

surreptitious

secret
News of their surreptitious meeting gradually leaked out.

surrogate

substitute
For a fatherless child, a male teacher may become a father surrogate.

surveillance

watching; guarding
The FBI kept the house under constant surveillance in the hope of capturing all the criminals at one time.

susceptible

impressionable; easily influenced; having little resistance, as to a disease
He was a very susceptible young man, and so his parents worried that he might fall into bad company.

sustain

experience; support; nourish
He sustained such a severe injury that the doctors feared he would be unable to work to sustain his
growing family.

sustenance

means of support, food, nourishment
In the tropics, the natives find sustenance easy to obtain because of all the fruit trees.

suture

stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing
We will remove the sutures as soon as the wound heals.

swarthy

dark; dusky
Despite the stereotype, not all Italians are swarthy; many are fair and blond.

swathe

wrap around; bandage
When I visited him in the hospital, I found him swathed in bandages.

swelter

be oppressed by heat
I am going to buy an air conditioning unit for my apartment as I do not intend to swelter through another
hot and humid summer.

swerve

deviate; turn aside sharply
The car swerved wildly as the driver struggled to regain control of the wheel.

swill

drink greedily
Singing, "Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum," Long John Silver and his fellow pirates swilled their grog.

swindler

cheat
She was gullible and trusting, an easy victim for the first swindler who came along.

sybarite

lover of luxury
Rich people are not always sybarites; some of them have little taste for a life of luxury.

sycophant

servile flatterer
The king enjoyed the servile compliments and attentions of the sycophants in his retinue.

syllogism

logical formula consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion; deceptive
or specious argument There must be a fallacy in this syllogism; I cannot accept its conclusion.

sylvan

pertaining to the woods; rustic
His paintings of nymphs in sylvan backgrounds were criticized as oversentimental.

symbiosis

interdependent relationship (between groups, species), often mutually beneficial
Both the crocodile bird and the crocodile derive benefit from their symbiosis; pecking away at food
particles embedded in the crocodile's teeth, the bird derives nourishment; the crocodile, meanwhile, derives
proper dental hygiene.

symmetry

arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity
The addition of a second tower will give this edifice the symmetry that it now lacks.

synchronous

similary timed; simultaneous with
We have many examples of scientists in different parts of the world who have made synchronous
discoveries.

synoptic

providing a general overview; summary
The professor turned to the latest issue of Dissertation Abstracts for a synoptic account of what was new
in the field.

synthesis

combining parts into a whole
Now that we have succeeded in isolating this drug, our next problem is to plan its synthesis in the
laboratory.

synthetic

artificial; resulting from synthesis
During the twentieth century, many synthetic products have replaced the natural products.

taciturn

habitually silent; talking a little
New Englanders are reputedly taciturn people.

tacit

understood; not put into words
We have a tacit agreement based on only a handshake.

tactile

pertaining to the organs or sense of touch
His callused hands had lost their tactile sensitivity.

tainted

contaminated; corrupt Health authorities are always trying to prevent the sale and use of tainted food.

talisman

charm
She wore the talisman to ward off evil.

talon

claw of bird
The falconer wore a leather gauntlet to avoid being clawed by the hawk's talons.

tangential

peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing
Despite Clark's attempts to distract her with tangential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main
question: why couldn't he come out to dinner with Superman and her?

tangible

able to be touched; real; palpable
Although Tom did not own a house, he had several tangible assets--a car, a television, a PC--that he could
sell if he needed cash.

tanner

person who turns animal hides into leather
Using a solution of tanbark, the tanner treated the cowhide, transforming it into supple leather.

tantalize

tease; torture with disappointment
Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it.

tantamount

equal
Your ignoring their pathetic condition is tantamount to the murder.

tantrum

fit of petulance; caprice
The child learned that he could have almost anything if he went into tantrums.

taper

candle
He lit the taper on the windowsill.

tarantula

venomous spider
We need an antitoxin to counteract the bite of the tarantula.

tarry

delay; dawdle
We can't tarry if we want to get to the airport on time.

tautological

needlessly repetitious
In the sentence "It was visible to the eye," the phrase "to the eye" is tautological.

taut

tight; ready
The captain maintained that he ran a taut ship.

tawdry

cheap and gaudy
He won a few tawdry trinkets in Coney Island.

taxonomist

specialist in classifying (animals, etc.)
Dental patterns often enable the taxonomist to distinguish members of one rodent species from those of
another.

tedium

boredom; weariness
We hope this radio will help overcome the tedium of your stay in the hospital.

temerity

boldness; rashness
Do you have the temerity to argue with me?

temperament

characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess
Although the twins look alike, they differ markedly in temperament: Tod is calm, but Rod is excitable.

temperate

restrained; self-controlled
Noted for his temperate appetite, he seldom gained weight.

temper

moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel)
Not even her supervisor's grumpiness could temper Nancy's enthusiasm for her new job.

temporal

not lasting forever; limited by time; secular
At one time in our history, temporal rulers assumed that they had been given their thrones by divine right.

temporize

avoid committing oneself; gain time
I cannot permit you to temporize any longer; I must have a definite answer today.

tempo

speed of music
I find the conductor's tempo too slow for such a brilliant piece of music.

tenacious

holding fast
I had to struggle to break his tenacious hold on my arm.

tenacity

firmness; persistency; adhesiveness
It is extremely difficult to overcome the tenacity of a habit such as smoking.

tendentious

having an aim; biased; designed to further a cause
The editorials in this periodical are tendentious rather than truth-seeking.

tender

offer; extend
Although no formal changes had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt
he should tender his resignation.

tenet

doctrine; dogma
The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith.

tensile

capable of being stretched
Mountain climbers must know the tensile strength of their ropes.

tentative

provisional; experimental
Your tentative plans sound plausible; let me know when the final details are worked out.

tenuous

thin; rare; slim
The allegiance of our allies is held by rather tenuous ties; let us hope they will remain loyal.

tenure

holding of an office; time during which such an office is held
He was permanent tenure in this position and cannot be fired.

tepid

lukewarm
During the summer, I like to take a tepid bath, not a hot one.

terminate

to bring to an end
When his contract was terminated unexpectedly, he desperately needed a new job.

terminology

terms used in a science or art
The special terminology developed by some authorities in the field has done more to confuse laypersons
than to enlighten them.

terminus

last stop of railroad
After we reached the railroad terminus, we continued our journey into the wilderness on saddle horses.

terrestrial

on or relating to the earth
We have been able to explore the terrestrial regions much more thoroughly than the aquatic or celestial
regions.

terse

concise; abrupt; pithy
I admire his terse style of writing; he comes directly to the point.

tertiary

third
He is so thorough that he analyzes tertiary causes where other writers are content with primary and
secondary reasons.

tesselated

inlaid; mosaic
I recall seeing a table with a tesselated top of bits of stone and glass in a very interesting pattern.

testator

maker of a will
The attorney called in his secretary and his partner to witness the signature of the testator.

testy

irritable; short-tempered
My advice is to avoid discussing this problem with him today as he is rather testy and may shout at you.

tether

tie with a rope
Before we went to sleep, we tethered the horses to prevent their wandering off during the night.

thematic

relating to a unifying motif or idea
Those who think of Moby Dick as a simple adventure story about whaling miss is underlying thematic
import.

theocracy

government of a community by religious leaders
Some Pilgrims favored the establishment of a theocracy in New England.

theoretical

not practical or applied; hypothetical
Bob was better at applied engineering and computer programming than he was at theoretical physics and math. While I can still think of some theoretical objections to your plan, you've convinced me of its basic
soundness.

therapeutic

curative
Now better known for its racetrack, Saratoga Springs first gained attention for the therapeutic qualities of
its famous "healing waters."

thermal

pertaining to heat
The natives discovered that the host springs gave excellent thermal baths and began to develop their
community as a health resort.

thespian

pertaining to drama
Her success in the school play convinced her she was destined for a thespian career.

thrall

slave; bondage
The captured soldier was held in thrall by the conquering army.

thrifty

careful about money; economical
A thrifty shopper compares prices before making major purchases.

thrive

prosper; flourish
Despite the impact of recession on the restaurant trade, Philip's cafe thrived.

throes

violent anguish
The throes of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying physical pain.

throng

crowd
Throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles.

throttle

strangle
The criminal tried to throttle the old man with his bare hands.

thwart

baffle; frustrate
He felt that everyone was trying to thwart his plans and prevent his success.

tightwad

excessively frugal person; miser
Jill called Jack a tightwad because he never picked up the check.

tilter

handle used to move the boat's rudder (to steer)
Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and capsize the skiff, Tom kept one hand on the tilter at all times.

timbre

quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument
We identify the instrument producing a musical sound by its timbre.

timidity

lack of self-confidence or courage
If you are to succeed as a salesperson, you must first lose your timidity and fear of failure.

timid

easily frightened; apprehensive
He was timid and cowardish; always backing up at daunting situations.

timorous

fearful; demonstrating fear
His timorous manner betrayed the fear he felt at the moment.

tipple

drink (alcoholic beverages) frequently
He found that his most enjoyable evenings occurred when he tippled with his friends at the local pub.

tirade

extended scolding; denunciation
Long before he had finished his tirade, we were sufficiently aware of the seriousness of our misconduct.

titanic

gigantic
titanic waves beat aginst the shore during the hurricane.

tithe

tax of one-tenth
Because he was an agnostic, he refused to pay his tithes to the clergy.

titillate

tickle
I am here not to titillate my audience but to enlighten it.

title

right or claim to possession; mark of rank; name (of a book, film, etc.)
Though the penniless Duke of Ragwort no longer held title to the family estate, he still retained his title as
head of one of England's oldest families.

titter

nervous laugh
Her aunt's constant titter nearly drove her mad.

titular

having the title of an office without the obligations
Although he was the titular head of the company, the real decisions were made by his general manager.

toady

servile flatterer; yes man
Never tell the boss anything he doesn't wish to hear: he doesn't want an independent adviser, he just wants
a toady.

toga

Roman outer robe
Marc Antony pointed to the slashes in Caesar's toga.

toil

work laboriously; make slow painful progress
You must toil through 3500 words list in order to achieve a high score on GRE.

tome

large volume
He spent much time in the libraries poring over ancient tomes.

tonic

invigorating medicine
The tonic water invigorated her, contrary to the enervating effect of the alcohol.

tonsure

shaving of the head, especially by person entering religious orders
His tonsure, even more than his monastic garb, indicated that he was a member of the religious order.

topography

physical features of a region
Before the generals gave the order to attack, they ordered a complete study of the topography of the
region.

torpor

lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy
Nothing seemed to arouse him from his torpor; he had wholly surrendered himself to lethargy.

torque

twisting force; force producing rotation
With her wrench she applied sufficient torque to the nut the loosen it.

torrent

rushing stream; flood
Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water ran downhill in torrents.

torso

trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk
This torso, found in the ruins of Pompeii, is now on exhibition in the museum in Naples.

tortuous

winding; full of curves
Because this road is so tortuous, it is unwise to go faster than twenty miles an hour on it.

touchstone

stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion
What touchstone can be used to measure the character of a person?

touchy

sensitive; irascible
Do not discuss this phase of the problem as he is very touchy about it.

tout

publicize; praise excessively
I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds that turned out to be a bad investment.

toxic

poisonous
We must seek an antidote for whatever toxic substance he has eaten.

tractable

docile
You will find the children in this school very tractable and willing to learn.

tract

pamphlet; a region of indefinite size
The King granted William Penn a tract of land in the New World.

traduce

expose to slander
His opponents tried to traduce the candidate's reputation by spreading rumors about his past.

trajectory

path taken by a projectile
The police tried to locate the spot from which the assassin had fired the fatal shot by tracing the trajectory
of the bullet.

tranquillity

calmness; peace
After the commotion and excitement of the city, I appreciate the tranquillity of these fields and forests.

transcend

exceed; surpass
This accomplishment transcends all our previous efforts.

transcribe

copy
When you transcribe your notes, please send a copy to Mr.Smith and keep the original for our files.

transgression

violation of a law; sin
Forgive us our transgressions; we know not what we do.

transient

momentary; temporary; staying for a short time
Lexy's joy at finding the perfect Christmas gift for Phil was transient; she still had to find presents for the
cousins and Uncle Bob. Located near the airport, this hotel caters to the largely transient trade.

transition

going from one state of action to another
During the period of transition from oil heat to gas heat, the furnace will have to be shut off.

transitoriness

impermanence
Conscious that all things pass, the psalmist relates the transitoriness of happiness and fame.

translucent

partly transparent
We could not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us.

transmute

change; convert to something different
He was unable to transmute his dreams into actualities.

transparent

permitting to light to pass through freely; easily detected
Your scheme is so transparent that it will fool no one.

transpire

be revealed; happen
When Austen writes the sentence "It had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him," her
meaning is not that the debts had just been incurred, but the the shocking news had just leaked out.

transport

strong emotion
Margo was a creature of extremes, at one moment in transports of joy over a vivid sunset, at another
moment in transports of grief over a dying bird.

trappings

outward decorations; ornaments
He loved the trappings of success: the limousines, the stock options, the company jet.

traumatic

pertaining to an injury caused by violence
In his nightmares, he kept on recalling the traumatic experience of being wounded in battle.

travail

painful labor
How long do you think a man can endure such travail and degradation without rebelling?

traverse

go through or across
When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull.

travesty

comical parody; treatment aimed at making something appear ridiculous
The ridiculous decision the jury has arrived at is a travesty of justice.

treatise

article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly
He is preparing a treatise on the Elizabethan playwrights for his graduate degree.

trek

travel; journey
The tribe made their trek further north that summer in search of game.

tremor

trembling; slight quiver
She had a nervous tremor in her right hand.

tremulous

trembling; wavering She was tremulous more from excitement than from fear.

trenchant

cutting; keen
I am afraid of his trenchant wit for it is so often sarcastic.

trepidation

fear; trembling agitation
We must face the enemy without trepidation if we are to win this battle.

tribulation

distress; suffering
After all the trials and tribulations we have gone through, we need this rest.

tribunal

court of justice
The decision of the tribunal was final and the prisoner was sentenced to death.

tribute

tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect
The colonists refused to pay tribute to a foreign despot.

trident

three-pronged spear
Neptune is usually depicted as rising from the sea, carrying his trident on his shoulder.

trigger

set off
John is touchy today; say one word wrong and you'll trigger an explosion.

trilogy

group of three works
Romain Rolland's novel Jean Christophe was first published as a trilogy.

trinket

knickknack; bauble
Whenever she traveled abroad, Ethel would pick up costume jewelry and other trinkets as souvenirs.

trite

hackneyed; commonplace
Thr trite and predictable situations in many television programs alienate many viewers.

trivia

trifles; unimportant matters
Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivia.

troth

pledge of good faith especially in betrothal
He gave her his troth and vowed to cherish her always.

trough

container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave, business cycle, etc.)
The hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board, coasting along
in the trough between two waves.

truculence

agressiveness; ferocity
Tynan's reviews were noted for their caustic attacks and general tone of truculence.

truism

self-evident truth
Many a truism is well expressed in a proverb.

truncate

cut the top off The top of the cone that has been truncated in a plane parallel to its base is a circle.

tryst

meeting
The lovers kept their tryst even though they realized their danger.

tumid

swollen; pompous; bombastic
I especially dislike his tumid style; I prefer writing which is less swollen and bombastic.

tumult

commotion; riot; noise
She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob.

tundra

rolling, treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America
Despite the cold, many geologists are trying to discover valuable mineral deposits in the tundra.

turbid

muddy; having the sediment disturbed
The water was turbid after the children had waded through it.

turbulence

state of violent agitation
We were frightened by the turbulence of the ocean during the storm.

tureen

deep dish for serving soup
The waiters brought the soup to the tables in silver tureens.

turgid

swollen; distended
The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the contryside.

turmoil

confusion; strife
Conscious he had sinned, he was in a state of spiritual turmoil.

turncoat

traitor
The British considered Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered him a turncoat.

turpitude

depravity
A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of moral turpitude.

tutelage

guardianship; training
Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument, she made rapid progress as a virtuoso.

tutelary

protective; pertaining to a guardianship
I am acting in my tutelary capacity when I refuse to grant you permission to leave the campus.

tycoon

wealthy leader
John D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon.

tyranny

oppression; cruel government
Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery throughout his entire life.

tyro

beginner; novice
For a mere tyro, you have produced some marvelous results.

ubiquitous

being everywhere; omnipresent
That Christmas "The Little Drummer Boy" seemed ubiquitous: Justin heard the tune everywhere he went.

ulterior

situated beyond; unstated and often questionable
You must have an ulterior motive for your behavior, since there is no obvious reason for it.

ultimate

final; not susceptible to further analysis
Scientists are searching for the ultimate truths.

ultimatum

last demand; warning
Since they have ignored our ultimatum, our only recourse is to declare war.

umbrage

resentment; anger; sense of injury or insult
She took umbrage at his remarks and stormed away in a huff.

unanimity

complete agreement
We were surprised by the unanimity with which our proposals were accepted by the different groups.

unassuaged

unsatisfied; not soothed
Her anger is unassuaged by your apology.

unassuming

modest
He is so unassuming that some people fail to realize how great a man he really is.

unbridled

violent
She had a sudden fit of unbridled rage.

uncanny

strange; mysterious
You have the uncanny knack of reading my innermost thoughts.

unconscionable

unscrupulous; excessive
She found the load shark's demands unconscionable and impossible to meet.

uncouth

outlandish; clumsy; boorish Most biographers portray Lincoln as an uncouth and ungainly young man.

unction

the act of anointing with oil
The anointing with oil of a person near death is called extreme unction.

unctous

oily; bland; insincerely suave
Uriah Heep disguised his nefarious actions by unctuous protestations of his "'umility."

undergird

strengthen the base of
Whereas relativity theory undermined the Newtonian mechanics, cosmology was undergirded by it.

undermine

weaken; sap
The recent corruption scandals have undermined many people's faith in the city government.

underscore

emphasize
Adressing the jogging class, Kim underscored the importance to runners of good nutrition.

undulate

move with a wavelike motion
The flag undulated in the breeze.

unearthly

not earthly; weird
There is an unearthly atmosphere in her work that amazes the casual observer.

unearth

dig up
When they unearthed the city, the archeologists found many relics of an ancient civilization.

unequivocal

plain; obvious
My answer to your proposal is an unequivocal and absolute "No."

unerringly

infallibly
My teacher unerringly pounced on the one typographical error in my essay.

unfaltering

steadfast
She approached the guillotine with unfaltering steps.

unfeigned

genuine; real
She turned so pale that I am sure her surprise was unfeigned.

unfettered

liberated; freed from chains
Chained to the wall for months on end, the hostage despaired that he would ever be unfettered.

unfledged

immature
It is hard for an unfledged writer to find a sympathetic publisher.

unfrock

to strip a priest or minister of church authority
To disbar a lawyer, to unfrock a priest, to suspend a doctor's license to practice--these are extreme steps
that the authorities should take only after careful consideration.

ungainly

awkward
He is an ungainly young man; he trips over everything.

unguent

ointment Apply this unguent to the sore muscles before retiring.

uniformity

sameness; consistency; monotony
After a while, the uniformity of TV situation comedies becomes boring.

unilateral

one-sided
This legislation is unilateral since it binds only one party in the controversy.

unimpeachable

blameless and exemplary
Her conduct in office was unimpeachable and her record is spotless.

uninhibited

unrepressed
The congregation was shocked by her uninhibited laughter during the sermon.

unintimidating

unfrightening
Though Phil had expected to feel overawed when he met Joe Montana, he found the experience
unintimidating and relaxing.

unique

without an equal; single in kind
You have the unique distinction of being the first student whom I have had to fail in this course.

unison

unity of pitch; complete accord
The choir sang in unison.

universal

characterizing or affecting all; present everywhere
At first, no one shared Christopher's opinions; his theory that the world was round was met with universal
disdain.

unkempt

disheveled; with uncared-for appearance
The beggar was dirty and unkempt.

unobtrusive

inconspicuous; not blatant
The secret service agents in charge of protecting the President tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.

unprecedented

novel; unparalleled
Margaret Mitchell's book Gone with the Wind was an unprecedented success.

unprepossessing

unattractive
During adolescence many attractive young people somehow acquire the false notion that their appearance
is unprepossessing.

unravel

disentangle; solve
With equal ease Miss Marple unraveled tangled balls of yarn and baffling murder mysteries.

unrequited

not reciprocated
Suffering the pangs of unrequited love, Olivia rebukes Cesario for his hard-heartedness.

unruly

disobedient; lawless
The only way to curb this unruly mob is to use tear gas.

unsavory

distasteful; morally offensive
People with unsavory reputations should not be allowed to work with young children.

unscathed

unharmed
They prayed he would come back from the war unscathed.

unseemly

unbecoming; indecent
Your levity is unseemly at this time of mourning.

unsightly

ugly
Although James was an experienced emergency room nurse, he occasionally became queasy when faced
with a particularly unsightly injury.

unsullied

untarnished
I am happy that my reputation is unsullied.

untenable

unsupportable
I find your theory untenable and must reject it.

untoward

unfortunate; annoying
Untoward circumstances prevent me from being with you on this festive occasion.

unwarranted

unjustified; groundless; undeserved
We could not understand Martin's unwarranted rudeness to his mother's guests.

unwieldy

awkward; cumbersome; unmanageable
The large carton was so unwieldy that the movers had trouble getting it up the stairs.

unwitting

unintentional; not knowing
She was the unwitting tool of the swindlers

unwonted

unaccustomed
He hesitated to assume the unwonted role of master of ceremonies at the dinner.

upbraid

scold; reproach
I must upbraid him for his unruly behavior.

uproarious

marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy
The uproarious comedy hit Home Alone featured Macaulay Culkin, whose mugging and comic antics
provoked gales of uproarious laughter from audiences coast to coast.

upshot

outcome
The upshot of the rematch was that the former champion proved that he still possessed all the skills of his
youth.

urbane

suave; refined; elegant
The courtier was urbane and sophisticated

urchin

mischievous child (usually a boy)
Get out! This store is no place for grubby urchins!

ursine

bearlike; pertaining to a bear
Because of its ursine appearance, the great panda has been identified with the bears; actually, it is closely
related to the raccoon.

usurp

seize power; supplant
The revolution ended when the victorious rebel leader usurped the throne.

usury

lending money at illegal rates of interest
The loan shark was found guilty of usury.

utopia

imaginary land with perfect social and political system
Shangri-la was the name of James Hilton's Tibetan utopia.

uxorious

excessively devoted to one's wife
His friends laughed at him because he was so uxorious and submissive to his wife's desires.

vacillate

waver; fluctuate
Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess vacillated, saying now one, now the other.

vacuous

empty; lacking in ideas; stupid
The candidate's vacuous remarks annoyed the audience, who had hoped to hear more than empty
platitudes

vagabond

wanderer; tramp
In summer, college students wander the roads of Europe like carefree vagabonds.

vagary

caprice; whim
She followed every vagary of fashion.

vagrant

homeless wanderer
Because he was a stranger in town with no visible means of support, Martin feared he would be jailed as a
vagrant.

vagrant

stray; random
He tried to study, but could not collect his vagrant thoughts.

vainglorious

boastful; excessively conceited She was a vainglorious and arrogant individual.

valedictory

pertaining to farewell
I found the valedictory address too long; leave-taking should be brief.

validate

confirm; ratify
I will not publish my findings until I validate my results.

valid

logically convincing; sound; legally acceptable
You're going to have to come up with a better argument if you want to convince me that your reasoning is
valid.

valor

bravery
He received the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle.

vampire

ghostly being that sucks the blood of the living
Children were afraid to go to sleep at night because of the many legends of vampires.

vanguard

forerunners; advance forces
We are the vanguard of a tremendous army that is following us.

vantage

position giving an advantage
They fired upon the enemy from behind trees, walls and any other point of vantage they could find.

vapid

insipid; inane
She delivered an uninspired and vapid address.

variegated

many-colored
Without her glasses, Gretchen saw the fields of tulips as a variegated blur.

vassal

in feudalism, one who held land of a superior lord
The lord demanded that his vassals contribute more to his military campaign.

vaunted

boasted; bragged; highly publicized
This much vaunted project proved a disappointment when it collapsed.

veer

change in direction
After what seemed an eternity, the wind veered to the east and the storm abated.

vegetate

live in a monotonous way
I do not understand how you can vegetate in this quiet village after the adventurous life you have led.

vehement

impetuous; with marked vigor
He spoke with vehement eloquence in defense of his client.

velocity

speed
The train went by at considerable velocity.

venal

capable of being bribed The venal policeman accepted the bribe offered him by the speeding motorist whom he had stopped.

vendetta

blood feud
The rival mobs engaged in a bitter vendetta.

vendor

seller
The fruit vendor sold her wares from a stall on the sidewalk.

veneer

thin layer; cover
Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer of sophistication and failed to recognize his fundamental
shallowness.

venerable

deserving high respect
We do not mean to be disrespectful when we refuse to follow the advice of our venerable leader.

venerate

revere
In China, the people venerate their ancestors.

venial

forgivable; trivial
We may regard a hugry man's stealing as a venial crime.

venison

the meat of a deer
The hunters dined on venison.

ventral

abdominal
We shall now examine the ventral plates of this serpent, not the dorsal side.

ventriloquist

someone who can make his or her voice seem to come from another person or thing
This ventriloquist does an act in which she has a conversation with a wooden dummy.

venturesome

bold
A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt.Annapurna.

vent

express; utter
He vented his wrath on his class.

vent

small opening; outlet
The wine did not flow because the air vent in the barrel was clogged.

venue

location
The attorney asked for a change of venue; he thought his client would do better if the trial were held in a
less conservative county.

veracious

truthful
I can recommend him for this position because I have always found him veracious and reliable.

veracity

truthfulness
Trying to prove Hill a liar, Senator Spector repeatedly questioned her veracity.

verbalize

put into words
I know you don't like to talk about these things, but please try to verbalize your feelings.

verbatim

word for word
He repeated the message verbatim.

verbiage

pompous array of words
After we had waded through all the verbiage, we discovered that the writer had said very little.

verbose

wordy
This article is too verbose; we must edit it.

verdant

green; lush in vegetation
Monet's paintings of the verdant meadows were symphonies in green.

verdigris

green coating on copper which has been exposed to the weather
Despite all attempts to protect the statue from the elements, it became coated with verdigris.

verge

border; edge
Madame Curie knew she was on the verge of discovering the secrets of radioactive elements.

verisimilitude

appearance of truth; likelihood
Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely
believable.

verity

truth; reality
The four verities were revealed to Buddha during his long meditation.

vernacular

living language; natural style
Cut out those old-fashioned "thee's" and "thou's" and write in the vernacular.

vernal

pertaining to spring
We may expect vernal showers all during the month of April.

versatile

having many talents; capable of working in many fields
He was a versatile athlete; at college he had earned varsity letters in baseball, football, and track.

vertex

summit
Let us drop a perpendicular line from the vertex of the triangle to the base.

vertigo

dizziness
We test potential plane pilots for susceptibility to spells of vertigo.

verve

enthusiasm; liveliness
She approached her studies with such verve that it was impossible for her to do poorly.

vestige

trace; remains
We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in the cave.

vex

annoy; distress
Please try not to vex your mother; she is doing the best she can.

viable

capable of maintaining life; practicable; workable
The infant, though prematurely born, is viable and has a good chance to survive.

viand

food
There was a variety of viands at the feast.

vicarious

acting as a substitute; done by a deputy
Many people get a vicarious thrill at the movies by imagining they are the characters on the screen.

vicissitude

change of fortune
Humbled by life's vicissitudes, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gardener in the palace over
which he had once ruled.

victuals

food
I am very happy to be able to provide you with these victuals; I know you are hungry.

vie

contend; compete
Politicians vie with one another, competing for donations and votes.

vigilance

watchfulness
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

vignette

picture; short literary sketch
The New Yorker published her latest vignette.

vigor

active strength
Although he was over seventy years old, Jack had the vigor of a man in his prime.

vilify

slander
She is a liar and is always trying to vilify my reputation.

vindicate

clear of charges
I hope to vindicate my client and return him to society as a free man.

vindictive

revengeful
She was very vindictive and never forgave an injury.

vintner

winemaker; seller of wine
The poet wondered what the vintners could buy that would be half as precious as the wine they sold.

viper

poisonous snake
The habitat of the horned viper, a particularly venomous snake, is in sandy regions like the Sahara or the
Sinai peninsula.

virile

manly
I do not accept the premise that a man is virile only when he is belligerent.

virtual

in essence; for practical purposes
She is a virtual financial wizard when it comes to money matters.

virtue

goodness; moral excellence; good quality
A virtue carried to extremes can turn into something resembling vice; humility, for example, can
degenerate into servility and spinelessness.

virtuoso

highly skilled artist
The child prodigy Yehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso whose virtuosity on the violin thrilled millions.

virulent

extremely poisonous
The virus is highly virulent and has made many of us ill for days.

virus

disease communicator
The doctors are looking for a specific medicine to control this virus.

visage

face; appearance
The stern visage of the judge indicated that she had decided to impose a severe penalty.

visceral

felt in one's inner organs
She disliked the visceral sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster.

viscid

adhesive; gluey
The trunk of the maple tree was viscid with sap.

viscous

sticky, gluey
Melted tar is a viscous substance.

vise

tool for holding work in place
Before filling its edges, the keysmith took the blank key and fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise.

visionary

produced by imagination; fanciful; mystical
She was given to visionary schemes that never materialized.

vital

vibrant and lively; critical; living, breathing
The vital, highly energetic first aid instructor stressed that it was vital in examining accident victims to note
their vital signs.

vitiate

spoil the effect of; make inoperative
Fraud will vitiate the contract.

vitreous

pertaining to or resembling glass
Although this plastic has many vitreous qualties such as transparency, it is unbreakable.

vitriolic

corrosive; sarcastic
Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for.

vituperative

abusive; scolding He became more vituperative as he realized that we were not going to grant him his wish.

vivacious

lively or animated; sprightly
She had always been vivacious and sparkling.

vivisection

act of dissecting living animals
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opposed vivisection and deplored the practice of
using animals in scientific experiments.

vixen

female fox; ill-tempered woman
Aware that she was right once again, he lost his temper and called her a shrew and a vixen.

vociferous

clamorous; noisy
The crowd grew vociferous in its anger and threatened to take the law into its own hands.

vogue

popular fashion
Jeans became the vogue on many college campuses.

volatile

changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly
The political climate today is extremely volatile: no one can predict what the electorate will do next.

volition

act of making a conscious choice
She selected this dress of her own volition.

voluble

fluent; glib
She was a voluble speaker, always ready to talk.

voluminous

bulky; large
Despite her family burdens, she kept up a voluminous correspondence with her friends.

voluptuous

gratifying the senses
The nobility during the Renaissance led voluptuous lives.

voracious

ravenous
The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied.

vortex

whirlwind; whirlpool; center of turbulence; predicament into which one is inexorably plunged
Sucked into the vortex of the tornado, Dorothy and Toto were carried from Kansas to Oz.

vouchsafe

grant condescendingly; guarantee
I can safely vouchsafe you fair return on your investment.

voyeur

Peeping
Jill called Jack a voyeur when she caught him aiming his binoculars at a bedroom window of the house
next door.

vulnerable

susceptible to wounds
Achilles was vulnerable only in his heel.

vulpine

like a fox; crafty
She disliked his sly ways, but granted him a certain vulpine intelligence.

waffle

speak equivocally about an issue.
When asked directly about the governor's involvement in the savings and loan scandal, the press secretary
waffled, talking all around the issue.

waft

moved gently by wind or waves.
Daydreaming, he gazed at the leaves that wafted past his window.

waggish

mischievous; humorous; tricky.
He was a prankster who, unfortunately, often overlooked the damage he could cause with his waggish
tricks.

waif

homeless child or animal.
Although he already had eight cats, he could not resist adopting yet another feline waif.

waive

give up temporarily; yield.
I will waive my rights in this matter in order to expedite our reaching a proper decision.

wallow

roll in; indulge in; become helpless.
The hippopotamus loves to wallow in the mud.

wane

grow gradually smaller.
From now until December 21, the winter solstice, the hours of daylight will wane.

wangle

wiggle out; fake.
She tried to wangle an invitation to the party.

wanton

unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste.
Pointing to the stack of bills, Sheldon criticized Sarah for her wanton expenditures. In response, Sara
accused Sheldon of making an unfounded, wanton attack.

wan

having a pale or sickly color; pallid.
Suckling asked, "Why so pale and wan, fond lover?"

warble

sing; babble.
Every morning the birds warbled outside her window.

warranty

guarantee; assurance by seller.
The purchaser of this automobile is protected by the manufacturer's warranty that he will replace any defective part for five years or 50,000 miles.

warrant

justify; authorize.
Before the judge issues the injunction, you must convince her this action is warranted.

warren

tunnels in which rabbits live; crowded conditions in which people live.
The tenement was a veritable warren, packed with people too poor to live elsewhere.

wary

very cautious.
The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry.

wastrel

profligate.
He was denounced as a wastrel who had dissipated his inheritance.

wax

increase; grow.
With proper handling, his fortunes waxed and he became rich.

waylay

ambush; lie in wait.
They agreed to waylay their victim as he passed through the dark alley going home.

wean

accustom a baby not to nurse; give up a cherished activity.
He decided he would wean himself away from eating junk food and stick to fruits and vegetables.

weather

endure the effects of weather or other forces.
He weathered the changes in his personal life with difficulty, as he had no one in whom to confide.

welter

turmoil; bewildering jumble.
The existing welter of overlapping federal and state proclaims cries out for immediate reform.

welter

wallow.
At the height of the battle, the casualties were so numerous that the victims weltered in their blood while
waiting for medical attention.

welt

mark from beating or whipping.
The evidence of child abuse was very clear; Jennifer's small body was covered with welts and bruises.

wheedle

cajole; coax; deceive by flattery.
She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants from her father.

whelp

young wolf, dog, tiger, etc.
This collie whelp won't do for breeding, but he'd make a fine pet.

whet

sharpen; stimulate.
The odors from the kitchen are whetting my appetite; I will be ravenous by the time the meal is served.

whiff

puff or gust (of air, scent, etc.); hint.
The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought memories of George to her mind.

whimsical

capricious; fanciful.
He dismissed his generous gift to his college as a sentimental fancy, an old man's whimsical gesture.

whinny

neigh like a horse.
When he laughed through his nose, it sounded as if he whinnied.

whittle

pare; cut off bits.
As a present for Aunt Polly, Tom whittled some clothespins out of a chunk of wood.

whit

smallest speck.
There is not a whit of intelligence or understanding in your observations.

whorl

ring of leaves around stem; ring.
Identification by fingerprints is based on the difference in shape and number of whorls on the fingers.

willful

intentional; headstrong.
Donald had planned to kill his wife for months; clearly, her death was a case of deliberate, willful murder,
not a crime of passion committed by a hasty, willful youth unable to foresee the consequences of his deeds.

wily

cunning; artful.
She is as wily as a fox in avoiding trouble.

wince

shrink back; flinch.
The screech of the chalk on the blackboard made her wince.

windfall

fallen fruit; unexpected lucky event.
This huge tax refund is quite a windfall.

winnow

sift; separate good parts from bad.
This test will winnow out the students who study from those who don't bother.

winsome

agreeable; gracious; engaging.
By her winsome manner, she made herself liked by everyone who met her.

wispy

thin; slight; barely discernible.
Worried about preserving his few wispy tufts of hair, Walter carefully massaged his scalp and applied hair
restorer every night.

wistful

vaguely longing; sadly pensive.
With a last wistful glance at the happy couples dancing in the hall, Sue headed back to her room to study
for her exam.

withdrawn

introverted; remote.
Rebuffed by his colleagues, the initially outgoing young researcher became increasingly withdrawn.

wither

shrivel; decay.
Cut flowers are beautiful for a day, but all too soon they wither.

witless

foolish; idiotic.
Such witless and fatuous statements will create the impression that you are an ignorant individual.

witticism

witty saying; facetious remark.
What you regard as witticisms are often offensive to sensitive people.

wizardry

sorcery; magic.
Merlin amazed the knights with his wizardry.

wizened

withered; shriveled.
The wizened old man in the home for the aged was still active and energetic.

wont

custom; habitual procedure.
As was his wont, he jogged two miles every morning before going to work.

worldly

engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual.
You must leave your worldly goods behind you when you go to meet your Maker.

wrangle

quarrel; obtain through arguing; herd cattle.
They wrangled over their inheritance.

wrath

anger; fury.
She turned to him, full of wrath, and said, "What makes you think I'll accept lower pay for this job than
you get?"

wreak

inflict.
I am afraid he will wreak his vengeance on the innocent as well as the guilty.

wrench

pull; strain; twist.
She wrenched free of her attacker and landed a powerful kick to his kneecap.

wrest

pull away; take by violence.
With only ten seconds left to play, our team wrested victory from their grasp.

writhe

squirm, twist.
He was writhing in pain, desperate for the drug his body required.

writ

written command issued by a court.
The hero of Leonard's novel is a process server who invents unorthodox ways of serving writs on reluctant
parties.

wry

twisted; with a humorous twist.
We enjoy Dorothy Parker's verse for its wry wit.

xenophobia

fear or hatred of foreigners.
When the refugee arrived in America, he was unprepared for the xenophobia he found there.

yen

longing; urge.
She had a yen to get away and live on her own for a while.

yeoman

man owing small estate; middle-class farmer.
It was not the aristocrat but the yeoman who determined the nation's policies.

yield

amount produced; crop; income on investment.
An experienced farmer can estimate the annual yield of his acres with surprising accuracy.

yield

give in; surrender.
The wounded knight refused to yield to his foe.

yokel

country bumpkin.
At school, his classmates regarded him as a yokel and laughed at his rustic mannerisms.

yoke

join together, unite.
I don't wish to be yoked to him in marriage, as if we were cattle pulling a plow.

yore

time past.
He dreamed of the elegant homes of yore, but gave no thought to their inelegant plumbing.

zany

crazy; comic.
I can watch the Marx brothers' zany antics for hours.

zealot

fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal.
It is good to have a few zealots in our group for their enthusiasm is contagious.

zeal

eager enthusiasm.
Wang's zeal was contagious; soon all his fellow students were busily making posters, inspired by his ardent
enthusiasm for the cause.

zenith

point directly overhead in the sky; summit.
When the sun was at its zenith, the glare was not as strong as at sunrise and sunset.

zephyr

gentle breeze; west wind.
When these zephyrs blow, it is good to be in an open boat under a full sail.

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